The Sampson Option
by Kody Wright
Summary: When Janet Fraiser and Charlie O'Neill step through the gate as refugees from another reality, Jack and Sam's whole world is turned upside down. Charlie, now 19 must adjust to a normal life while in denial and Janet must deal with those expecting her to be like her deceased alternate.
1. Chapter 1

Note: Cassandra Fraiser's nickname is spelled Cassie but I have misspelled it as Casey. I will eventually get around to fix it and repost. But until then, Casey is Casandra Fraiser.

Chapter 1

In a parallel universe things didn't go so well for Earth when the Gate was opened to Abydos. The mission was an utter failure and none of the men returned to Earth. Colonel Jack O'Neill reluctantly went on the mission leaving his wife and young son, Charlie behind. Charlie never touched Jack's service weapon and never accidentally died.

When his father never retuned Charlie couldn't understand what had happened. His mother was devastated by the loss of her husband and Charlie was destined to grow up without a father. Within six months of the failed mission to Abydos, Ra had sent his forces to Earth and quickly overtook the planet. When Charlie was a boy aliens invaded his world. Ten years had passed and now at nineteen years old, he had spent the last decade fighting the Goa'uld and resisting tyranny with everything he had. He found a friend who was former military and Charlie was essentially raised by George Hammond who had passed away a few years prior. Charlie was introduced through George Hammond to two very intelligent women who were captains in the military when Ra invaded, Janet Frasier and Samantha Carter. He grew rather close to both and thought of them as older sister-figures for a time.

Charlie O'Neill was instrumental in the resistance and the fight to stop Ra. He played a key role in weakening the System Lord but those efforts were futile as Apophis soon defeated Ra and absorbed the Jaffa forces. A plan was soon hatched by resistance fighters on Earth to wipe out the Goa'uld once and for all. They would employ the Sampson Option and launch all nuclear ICBM's and cleans the planet of every Jaffa on the face of the Earth. Secretly, over the course a of a year pockets of resistants' fighters were smuggling women, children and those deemed necessary through the Gate located in the heart of what was once New York City to alternate sites off world. The plan was to evacuate as many as possible before launching the nuclear warheads.

Time was drawing near and the last batch to evacuees was gathered in the ruins of New York. Charlie was the tasked with protecting the scientist and engineers deemed too valuable to leave behind. However, Charlie was not considered valuable enough to allow him to go off world with the evacuees.

Sam stood in an in old warehouse speaking to the local commander of the resistance, Cameron Mitchell. They were both dressed in civilian clothing that was worn and tattered. Sam wore jeans and a black leather jacket. She kept her hair short and rode a motorcycle. Since the Goa'uld invasion gas was a scarce resource and thus the resistance employed motorcycles to help combat the Jaffa. Mitchell wore a jeans and a black leather jacket as well. He simply shook his head as she pleaded her case.

"Charlie can go with the refugees," she insisted. "He's a good fighter and is needed to help protect them."

"The relocation camp has limited resources," he countered. "This our last hope for mankind. Only those who can make a difference are going."

"Charlie is brilliant and has made a difference," she huffed.

"He's just another grunt, Sam. Listen, I don't like this either! He's not on the list for a reason. They don't need him," he retorted.

"Yes we do," she countered.

"No, they don't." he remained steadfast. "Charlie is a good kid but…"

"He's only nineteen." she reminded. "He's young."

"He's over seventeen and that's the cut off age," Mitchell countered.

"So you are just gonna sentence him to die after he helped so many escape?" she huffed.

"It wouldn't be fair to let him go when others have to stay behind. It will be quick and he won't feel a thing," Mitchell assured.

"Easy for you to say," she miffed. "You will be in the camp resting up…"

"No, I won't!" he interrupted. "I'm staying behind too."

"What?" she asked concerned.

"You were a captain, Sam. So was Janet. You both can run the camp. You don't need me."

She gulped, "You're staying behind?"

"I'm not essential," he chuckled to himself. "I am just gonna lay back and have a beer and wait for the missiles to fly. That's all you can do when it's Armageddon." He assured, "You will lead them. You will tell them not come back to Earth for two hundred years. Hopefully by then it will be inhabitable again. And you will make sure we send a message to all the fucking Goa'uld out there. We will not go quietly and become slaves. When pushed against the wall we take them with us."

Sam huffed, "I think they will get the message loud and clear tomorrow." She went to walk away and he pulled her arm.

"Sam," he stopped her. "The best thing you can do for Charlie is put a bullet in his head tomorrow when you dial that Gate out."

She pulled her arm away in anger, "I won't do that to him."

"You would be doing him a favor," he assured.

"No," she replied and then walked away. "You get the refugees to the Gate in Central Park," she stated.

"They will be there," he assured her.

She walked over to the warehouse entrance and mounted a motorcycle. She started it and then gave final look to Mitchell before driving off. He stood by and watched her leave wishing the Sampson Option was not the only option left. But there was no other option.

Sam rode through the abandoned city street and into an underground garage. She parked the motorcycle near a stairwell and dismounted the bike. She walked into the adjacent office building and soon found Janet Frasier, dressed in jeans and a red sweatshirt waiting for her. She was sitting by an open window with a sniper rife in her hand. Her hair was cut short and she looked tired from the last decade of war.

"How did it go?" asked Janet.

"Cam won't let Charlie come with us." She let out a sigh, "He's says he's not essential."

"Screw it," she shrugged. "Let's take him anyways."

"You know damn well he won't go if he's been ordered to stay," she miffed.

Janet agreed, "Yeah, he's a stubborn one. I wonder where he gets that from. His mother wasn't nearly as stubborn."

She shrugged, "I have no idea. Sarah said he is a lot like his father though."

Janet looked out from the sniper's nest, "Charlie is coming."

"Buzz him in," stated Sam. She then left the room to meet him in the stairwell.

Charlie O'Neill walked through the locked door that led to the stairwell. He was tall, nearly six foot and sported short brown hair under a tan ball cap with brown eyes. His face became more defined as he grew into a man with a strong jaw and three days growth of beard. He wore jeans, a black tee-shirt and a black leather jacket. He sported a gun belt with a high caliber revolver. Strapped across his back was a forty-four magnum lever action repeating rifle that used the same ammunition as the revolver. He chose to carry the weapons due to the caliber, for it took a large caliber round to penetrate the armor of the enemy Jaffa. As he walked into the stairwell his eyes landed on Sam. He paused and smiled at her.

"Hey," he stated.

She smiled back, "Hey."

He walked up to her and placed his hand around her waist, he pulled her close and gently kissed her on the lips, "I missed you."

She kissed him back. She had known Charlie since he was a teenager and slowly entered a relationship with him as he grew into a man the last year. She was nearly twice his age but she didn't care for Charlie had aged beyond his years due to the wars.

"You see, Mitchell?" he wondered.

She nodded, "I did."

"Last of the refugees leave tomorrow?" he wondered.

She nodded again, "I spoke to him about letting you off world…"

"Sam," he gently held her face. "I can't go to the camp with you. I have to stay behind and cover your exit. This place is crawling with Jaffa. Apophis has his First Prime is here and he's a real bastard. You and Janet leave tomorrow and my job is to make sure you get through that Gate."

"You will die if you stay," she gulped. Tears started to swell up in her eyes.

He looked deep into her blue eyes and simply nodded, "I know. You need to survive the Sampson Option. They will need you in the camp."

"I don't want to go without you," she confessed.

Charlie insisted, "You have too."

"I don't want too," she repeated. "I leave this planet and then we set off those nukes and you die. How am I supposed to just go on with my life like nothing happened?"

"You will have the camp to keep you busy," he assured.

She shook her head, "It won't be the same without you. This is our last night together."

"Then let's make it count," he suggested. He gently took her hand and led up the stairs to and past the sniper's nest. They went to the back of the building to where they shared a bed for the evening.

**Next Morning**

Neither Sam nor Charlie slept that night. They made love and then remained in each other's arms until the morning sun shined down upon them. Charlie rose first and got dressed, reading himself for the final battle. It was to be his last battle for sure. It would be the last battle that Earth fought.

Sam stood beside him and started to get dressed. They didn't say much for there simply wasn't much left to say. She knew he wouldn't go through the Gate and would stay behind to ensure that she and Janet made it through after the refugees went off world. They ate breakfast as normal and readied themselves like it they did every day.

Sam gathered her computer and Janet gathered what medical supplies she could while Charlie prepared for the battle. They left the warehouse and mounted three motorcycles that they hid in the parking garage and started towards the park. They rode seemingly undetected to the edge of the park and dismounted the bikes.

Standing like a jewel in the middle of Central Park was the Gate with an Ancient dial control device sitting meters away. The dialing device stuck out of the grass like a giant mushroom with the Gate mounted high on a large stone platform behind. The grass was wet from the morning dew. The air was a bit nippy for fall was coming soon. Sam's heart sank and she realized she would never see another fall on Earth. She looked upon the area from her position near the woods.

"I'll dial the Gate out as soon as the refugees arrive," she informed.

"Mitchell is gonna try to old ram and slam routine again?" wondered Charlie.

"It's worked so far," Sam shrugged.

They heard an engine roar and looked over to the entrance and spotted an old school bus that was retrofitted to ram the Jaffa guardhouse located before the Gate. Behind the wheel of the bus was Mitchell driving the last of the refugees to the Gate to escape the planet. The ICBM's were already in flight and they had less than a half hour to evacuate the refugees. Upon ramming the guardhouse the whole bus exploded in a glorious fashion killing everyone onboard. Sam gasped as the plan to evacuate the last of the refugees fell apart much to her horror.

Charlie looked about for the enemy. His eyes landed on a platoon of Jaffa heading towards them with the First Prime leading the charge front and center. He was a large and bulky Jaffa with no hair and a stern face.

"You and Janet get through the Gate," snorted Charlie. "I will hold them off and cover you."

Sam had no choice and agreed, "Okay." She took off running towards the dialing device as Janet stayed beside Charlie.

He huffed, "Get to the Gate!"

"You need my help," she insisted.

"I'll take the First Prime," he stated. "You draw their fire. If I can take out the leader they might scatter." Charlie grabbed the motorcycle and started it. He rode out of the brush driving with one hand and using his other hand to work the lever action rifle as he leveled the barrel across the front of the bike. Janet fired the sniper rifle at the Jaffa from the cover of the trees as Charlie created a distraction to give Sam time to dial the Gate.

Sam reached the dialing device and found it would not dial the coordinates. The Gate had been blocked from dialing the camp. She removed her backpack and quickly hooked up an old laptop computer to try to override the controls.

As Sam worked, Charlie went right for the First Prime and nearly shot him but missed and got the Jaffa standing next to the leader, "Damn!" He killed the Jaffa he was not aiming for.

Teal'c, the First Prime of Apophis spotted Sam trying to hard break the dialing device and he leveled the staff weapon at her. As he fire the weapon Charlie had jumped off the motorcycle and onto the Jaffa's back. As Charlie and Teal'c struggled on the ground, Sam fell forwards for she was hit.

There was no pain quite like the pain of a Jaffa blast weapon. It was a burning sensation that continued long after the blast had discharged. The breath was knocked out of Sam but time was running out. She painfully crawled on her belly for she found she couldn't move her legs. Still in great pain, she worked the computer with tears streaming down her face for she knew the hit was fatal. She found she could dial out but none of the off world sites the resistance knew about would work. Then Sam tried something radical and dialed Earth after taking down every safeguard to allow the wormhole to go through the sun. She figured there was no safe place in her own reality to send Charlie and Janet too and thus if her calculations were correct, she could send them to a new home right back on Earth. She simply hoped this other Earth would not have been invaded. She looked at her watch as the Gate established. Ten minutes was all they had left. She looked back and found Charlie had gained the upper hand and killed the First Prime. As the First Prime fell to the ground a few more Jaffa made a rush for the young warrior but he grabbed his large revolver and opened fire at point blank range blowing the head clean off of one of the oncoming Jaffa. The rest quickly retreated after the spectacle. Charlie and Janet then rushed to Sam's side and found she was badly hurt. Charlie tried to help her up when Janet stopped him.

"Don't Charlie." the doctor held up a hand.

"Sam?" he cried.

Sam requested, "Help me roll over."

Janet helped her roll onto her back and rested her head on her lap. Charlie hovered over her looking at Janet for help.

"Help her!" he pleaded.

Sam reached up and caressed his face, "There is nothing she can do. Apophis blocked all our sites." She swallowed hard and was breathing heavy, "I managed to dial you and Janet a new home." She looked at Janet, "Make sure he goes with you. Don't let him stay behind."

"I'm not leaving you," he assured her.

Sam smiled, "I love you, Charlie. The last year has been the best year of my life. I'm so happy for the time I spent with you. But you need to go through that Gate. Don't let this be nothing."

His hands held her face as he kissed her once more. He felt her breathing stop as he kissed her one final time. He started to rock back and forth still hovering over Sam's lifeless body.

Janet gently placed Sam's head down and scooted out from under her. She grabbed Charlie by the arm and pulled him, "We have to leave now. Sam has is sending us someplace safe. We are almost out of time."

Charlie closed Sam's eyes and rose to his feet. A Jaffa blast erupted on the ground near their feet as the Jaffa regrouped and came back for a second assault. Charlie and Janet ran for the gate and jumped through the center as the Sampson Option commenced and the white light erupted behind them.

**SGC **

Newly promoted General Jack O'Neill sat at his new desk and looked over the pile of files that sat before him. He wondered why he let Sam talk him into taking the job as administrator of the SGC. She said it was an opportunity and a once in a life time chance. He simply didn't see how that was true for he hated administration duties. Perhaps, it was a ploy all along and she simply wanted him out of the way so she could be the commanding officer of SG-1. He was seriously beginning to think that was indeed the case and Sam wanted his old job. He sipped the cold coffee and stared at the files without actually touching any of them. The klaxons sounded and Jack was ever so relived. It was a godsend; an emergency had arrived and freed him from his own demise of doing paperwork. He rose to his feet and went to the adjacent control room where Walter sat at the station.

"Incoming wormhole sir," stated Walter.

"Who's knocking?" he asked.

"I'm receiving the emergency evacuation code assigned to the President," he informed.

"The President?" he asked.

Newly promoted Lt. Colonel Samantha Carter and Dr. Daniel Jackson walked up the stairs and entered the control room to see what was going on.

"What's going on, Jack?" asked Daniel.

Jack replied, "Apparently the President is here."

He cocked an eye, "What?"

Jack ensured a response team was in place and then ordered, "Lower the iris."

The iris lowered and out of the center of the Gate emerged two figures. They both hit ramp hard and fell to the floor below. Janet Frasier looked up and her eyes settled on the armed men surrounding her with rifles leveled. She slowly raised her arms above her head hoping that Sam knew what she was doing when she sent them through.

Sam gasped from the control room, "Janet!"

Daniel blinked, "I can't believe it. It's Janet." He then wondered, "Who is that man with her?"

Jack shrugged, "I have no idea."

Sam, Daniel and Jack marched down to the gate room. As they entered the room Jack motioned to the guards, "Lower the weapons." He led Sam and Daniel to the ramp to greet his visitors.

Charlie sucked in a breath and his mouth dropped upon seeing father walking towards him, "I can't believe it." He then spotted Sam marching right behind his father, "Sam!"

Sam heard the young man call her name and she had no idea who he was. She paused as she got closer and looked at him but still she could not place his identity. Her eyes landed on Janet and she could not help but suck back a tear for Janet had died just months ago.

"Janet?" she asked.

"You're alive, Sam?" Janet asked.

"You're the one who died," she replied.

Charlie noticed something wasn't right for this Sam didn't seem to recognize him and she wore a uniform. Her hair was shorter and styled and she wore makeup. He then looked at his father wearing an identical green uniform. He couldn't believe it. His father was alive!

Janet explained, "You sent us through the Gate, Sam. You just died in my arms minutes ago."

Sam theorized, "There is a logical explanation. I'm sure we will find it. It's possible you have crossed realities or something similar."

Charlie asked, "Crossed realities?"

"It's possible you have crossed into an alternate universe," she informed. "The wormhole originated from Earth. Is that where you were dealing from?"

"We in New York Central Park," Janet informed.

Charlie asked, "Can someone be dead in one reality and alive in another?"

"Yes," Sam nodded. "The realities can be identical or very different."

Charlie laughed to himself as he looked at his father, "You're alive."

Jack puckered, "I think so."

Janet asked, "Charlie…Do you know him?" She pointed to Jack.

Jack lifted an eye and looked at the young man. He seemed familiar but Jack couldn't prepare himself for what he was about to learn.

"He's my father," Charlie replied.

Jack's head whipped back slightly and then looked at the young man. He couldn't be Charlie. His son died.

"Charlie?" he asked. He stared at him real long and hard.

He nodded, "You died when I was a kid."

Jack countered, "You died with you were a kid. You shot yourself playing with my service weapon."

Charlie balked, "I never touched your service weapon. You went away on that mission and never came back. You went to Abydos with Uncle Charlie and that guy, Dr. Jackson and never returned. Then, Ra invaded and my life went right to hell."

Jack shook his head, "That didn't happen here. You died and then I went to Abydos to get away from the guilt. Daniel talked my out of nuking place."

"The Sampson Option?" asked Charlie.

"The code name for a secret directive to use a nuke on a suicide mission," Jack informed. He looked his son over, "You're in some sort of military?"

"I'm with the resistance," he informed. "We were fighting Apophis who defeated Ra after we weakened him.

"Apophis is one of the more powerful System Lords," Daniel agreed. He stood by and slowly absorbed the information piecing together what was happening.

Charlie asked, "Who are you?"

"I'm Dr. Daniel Jackson," he replied.

Charlie smirked, "You're guy who broke the code and went to Abydos!"

Daniel agreed, "That's me."

Charlie threw a look at Janet and then took a swing at Daniel, hitting him square on the jaw.

Janet stepped in front of Charlie and stopped, him, "Charlie…This is a different reality. Look around you. Sam is alive and well. Your father is alive and well. The Gate is not in Central Park and under the control of Apophis. Things are different here. Our Sam died sending us to a new home. This is it!"

Charlie rolled his eyes and smirked again at Daniel, "Sorry about the jaw."

Shocked at not only being hit but also by how hard Charlie had hit him, Daniel shook it off, "It okay. I take it first contact didn't go so well for you guys?"

Charlie miffed, "How did ya guess?"

Janet threw him a look, "Remember what Sam said when she died. Do not let this be in vein. She died to send us here. She did this on purpose, Charlie."

Sam asked, "Why would I send you to another reality on purpose? I need to work on sending you back home."

"There is nothing left," Janet informed. "This was our only chance of escaping."

Daniel assured, "I'm sure with some tactical information that we could provide that you could get rid of Apophis."

"No," she shook her head, "They employed the Sampson Option. The ICBM's in Russia and the US were launched and we went through right as they were about to hit. We spent a year relocating refugees off world but it turns out Apophis knew about that all along." She looked at Sam, "You sent us here after you were hit in the back by a Jaffa blast. You said it would be our new home. We were trying to evacuate to an off world refugee camp. There is nothing to go back too."

Sam let out a sigh, "I guess you are refugees here then."

"How did I die in your reality?" asked Janet.

"You were hit by an errant Jaffa blast while tending to wounded of world," she informed.

"I was still in the military?" she wondered.

"You were our Chief Medical Officer," Sam told her.

"Wow," she exhaled.

Jack walked closer to Charlie and gently touched his face. He tilted the young man's head and found a scare near the temple. He asked, "How did you get that scare?"

"Jaffa," he informed. "I got lots of scars from them."

"Me too," he gave a nod and then pulled his son close and wrapped his arms around him. He just stood and held him thankful to have him back in his arms once more.

Charlie embraced his father and found himself starting to relax. For the first time he felt like he might actually have a home again. He looked up and his eyes grew wide when Teal'c walked into the room to investigate. The Jaffa wore an identical SGC uniform and all Charlie could assume was they were infiltrated.

"Look out," he pushed his father aside and pulled his handgun and leveled it on Teal'c.

Teal'c came to an abrupt halt and had no idea what was happening.

Jack grabbed the gun and wrestled it out of Charlie's hand, "No Charlie! He's one of our guys."

"He's the First Prime," he retorted.

"Was the First Prime," Jack argued. "He helped me escape Apophis and take the snake down."

Charlie stood bewildered, "He helped you? He just killed Sam."

"Teal'c would never hurt, Carter!" Jack assured. "He had risked his life time and time again to help us. The Jaffa were slaves and were forced to serve Apophis."

Teal'c looked upon Janet Frasier and felt most grateful to see her once more but alarmed over the young man who just tried to shoot him. He walked closer as Jack disarmed Charlie of the rifle and handgun.

"JanetFrasier," he acknowledged her. He looked at Charlie rather baffled.

"Teal'c this is my son, Charlie. They are refugees from an alternate reality. Their Carter sent them here."

He simply gave a nod to the new arrivals.

Charlie gasped, "My father converted you to help us?"

"Indeed," Teal'c replied. "JackO'Neill is a great man."

Charlie looked at his father, "You know…We really could have used you in our reality."

Jack shrugged, "I died." He assured, "Charlie, Earth has not been invaded by any Goa'uld. There is no resistance and no Goa'uld invasion. If your Carter sent you here for this to be your new home, then this is your home now. You and Frasier both have a home here."

Charlie laughed and cried at the same time, "You mean the fighting is over?"

Jack looked down at the lever action rifle and the handgun and then back to his son, "For you it is."

"Thank god," he sighed. He then looked at Sam, "You have no idea who I am?"

"I'm gathering you are General O'Neill's son." she smiled politely.

Charlie paused and asked Jack, "You made general?"

Jack nodded, "Yeah."

Charlie looked at Sam and asked, "If I died here when I was a kid, then you never met me until today, right?"

Sam agreed, "I'm please to meet you, Charlie."

Charlie looked at Janet and then back at Sam. He looked at Janet once more with pleading eyes.

Janet remarked, "I'm not sure how you are going to handle this one, Charlie. You're a great a guy and you have done some amazing things the last ten years but…I'm sure she's not going to go there."

Sam was very concerned by Janet's remarks and asked, "Go where?"

**Author's note:** You are welcome to review if you wish. I am aware of what I write on FF is not high quality stuff. I have written professionally in the past with non-fiction publications and I have written a novel that is currently being re-edited as well. Writing FF is a hobby for me. I do it for fun and as a stress relief. I do read and edit each chapter 3 times and read is aloud at least once. I know many typos still get through. These works are in progress and are pretty raw by professional standards. I don't have the luxury to go back and re-write, edit, re-write, edit, re-write and edit chapters as I am posting these as I go along. In writing a novel is takes years, often the plot is revised and editing is an ongoing and a time consuming process. Often entire chapters can be thrown out and re-written from scratch. FF is raw, it's pure and unadulterated. To find a story here that is high quality, that writer has put in the equivalent of a professional writer in time, effort and resources. I prefer the raw and unadulterated story myself for that is when you find the diamonds in the rough. I know many authors post here for peer review and constructive criticism. In my case I post here for fun, to write what I could never make money on and to simply share with those who wish to read what I wrote. For me this is a hobby and nothing more. When that hobby becomes too much work then I simply will go to another hobby. Thank you for your support and readership.


	2. Chapter 2

Chapter 2

Lone survivors Dr. Janet Frasier and Charlie O'Neill were given hot showers, clean green battle dress uniforms and a hot meal. Janet found many of the men and women were very pleased to find she had come to the SGC and she would be staying but they recalled the Janet Frasier who had died months earlier and many assumed that this Janet was just like their old doctor and she would simply pick up the life the previous doctor had lived. Sam decided to talk to Janet privately and had asked her to come to her lab. Since Janet had no idea where her lab was an airman had to show her the way.

Janet arrived at the lab and looked around, "Oh wow," she smiled. "You got an actual lab to work in."

Sam, sitting at her table paused and asked confused, "I didn't have a lab in your world?"

"No," Janet replied as she looked about. "You made make-shift labs out of whatever you could find, where ever we were held up. For the last year it was just us three…You, me and Charlie. We took turns in a sniper's nest to guard it." She then found the empty stool by Sam, "Mind is I have a seat."

"Sit," she agreed. Sam took a breath and asked, "What did you mean when you told Charlie that I wasn't going there earlier?"

Janet informed, "You and Charlie had been in a relationship the last year. It started shortly after they started the Sampson Option."

"I was having an affair with a nineteen year old?" Sam's asked wide-eyed.

"Yes, but you did love him and he loved you. The age didn't seem that much of a bother. Charlie isn't like most nineteen year olds that you would find here. He's been fighting a war since he was a kid. You met him when he was fourteen. His mother, Sarah died when he was fifteen. After the initial invasion a friend of mine, George Hammond, who was a General, took him and Sarah in. George taught Charlie how to fight and became his father figure. We lost George a few years back."

"General Hammond is alive and well here and he ran the SGC until recently. He was just promoted to the Pentagon. I never would have imagined General Hammond being Charlie's father-figure after he lost his father."

"I'm glad he's alive here," Janet sniffed back a tear of joy. Everyone seemed to be alive and well. She had lost so much and this new world was quickly becoming a paradise for her.

"He was shaken when we lost your alternate here," Sam informed. "General O'Neill notified him of this morning's events and from what I understand he is coming here to see you."

"It will be so nice to see George again," she grinned.

Sam warned, "You always called him by rank here. You never called him by his first name from what I know."

"I haven't been in the military since the invasion," she balked. "I'm not a captain anymore. I was just a resistance fighter."

"Your alternate made the rank of Major before she died," she informed.

"Major?" Janet laughed. "Wow that would have been something."

"She also had an adopted daughter," Sam added. "Cassandra and she was a refugee from another planet. Her civilization was wiped out by the Goa'uld."

"Then I guess we have something in common," suggested Janet. "The closest thing to a child that I ever had was Charlie and well…He's not a kid now. He grew up hard and fast."

"I can see that," Sam agreed. "But why would I fall in love with him?"

"There weren't a lot of options," reported Janet. "Many of the men had died fighting the invaders. Plus, I think the Sampson Option had something to do with that. You and I were both supposed to evacuate to the camp but Charlie was supposed to stay behind and guard our exit. He was going to die and I think that you wanted him to have really lived that last year. I know you tried to convince the commander to let him go with us because he was so young but they said he wasn't necessary and he would eat up resources. It wasn't a fair option and when they wiped the planet of the Goa'uld they killed everyone else who was left behind. Charlie was to be left behind."

"I felt sorry for him?" she wondered.

"Not sorry but you felt like he was being cheated and should have been given the option of evacuating," Janet replied. "I think you were trying to make the most of his life because Charlie would not have gone through that Gate anyways. He went through because you had died. You told him that you had done something to give us a new home and that you wanted him to go through the Gate so what you did wasn't for nothing. That's the only reason he went through."

"Wow," she gulped. "Charlie sounds like a good man. Though young…"

Janet grinned, "A man hits his sexual peak at nineteen and a woman around our age. Must have been fun…"

"Stop," she stated not amused. "Charlie does understand that I am not the Sam he loved, right?"

"I think so," Janet assured. "But…"

"But what?" she asked.

She winced, "He's as stubborn as can be. I don't know where he got it from but he can be really, really stubborn. You might have a time getting him to move on from you."

Sam smirked, "Well, I know where gets his stubbornness from."

"Who?" Janet wondered.

"His father," she miffed.

"Really?" asked Janet. "His father seems like such a sweet man. I like him. He seems very kind."

"He is a kind man it's just…" Sam trailed off.

"Just what?" asked Janet.

"He can be stubborn," she informed.

She smiled, "Oh, he doesn't seem all that bad to me. Tell me about Dr. Jackson. I only read about him in old reports that George found after the invasion."

Sam assured, "You and Daniel got along great. He was there when your alternate died and that really shook him up. He's a wonderful man who is kind and caring. You and he always got along well."

"I don't know anything about him," reminded Janet. "I met him for the first time today. What do you think the military will do to me? Will they just give me the life my alternate had or will they make me change my name?"

"I and many others are hoping you will stay in the SGC," Sam informed.

"But I'm not my alternate," she reminded. "I'm not her."

"You are a little different and you are also exactly like your alternate," Sam rebutted. "I think you could easily fill her shoes."

Janet asked, "You mean be a mother to a girl I never met? I don't know if I can do that. What about Charlie? I know he got his father back but I'm the only family he really has left from our reality."

"I'm sure Charlie will adapt," Sam smiled.

**Jack's Office**

Charlie sat across from his father in the office and bluntly stated, "What the hell do you mean I have to go to school?" He was dressed in green BDU's and had shaven.

Jack informed, "I'm trying to get you into an officer's position in the Air Force but you need to go to the local academy to get hired as an officer."

Charlie rebutted, "I have eight years combat experience and I was personally trained to fight by an Air Force General."

"Who trained ya?" he wondered.

"He was a General named George Hammond," informed Charlie. "He raised me after you died."

"George raised you?" he gasped.

Charlie gave a nod and added, "And I raised myself. So, I don't need to go to some academy."

"You still need to go," insisted Jack.

"But George already taught me everything I needed to know." he countered.

Jack asked, "Did he teach you how to do paperwork?"

"Of course not," he laughed. "No one does 'paperwork' in the resistance."

"But the Air Force is not the resistance," he informed.

"Ah-ha and what would I be doing in this academy?" wondered Charlie.

Jack recited, "You would take a major and learn how to be an officer at the same time. You could learn to be a pilot…"

"I already know how to fly," Charlie rebutted. "I know how to fix engines, build shelters, gather food and supplies, disburse supplies down the line and I know all weapon systems and how to reload ammo by hand."

Jack stated, "But you need a degree to get a good paying job."

"I need a degree to get a job?" he asked astonished.

Jack gave a forceful nod, "Yes."

Charlie sat and pondered, "Who would I be going to this school with?"

"Kids your own age," assured Jack.

Charlie held up a finger, "Let's get one thing straight, Dad. I'm not a kid. I'm a man."

His father was taken by the statement but had to agree, "I know you are. You're a good man. You had an awful childhood and have been in a war since you were a kid. But that's behind you now and you need to go forward and I think the first step toward normalcy is going back to school."

"Going to an academy with a bunch of kids is normal!" Charlie huffed.

Jack rebutted, "If you want a career in the Air Force that is what you have to do. And the Academy is right in town. You can stay right here in Colorado Springs."

Charlie laughed, "Ah-ha, so how does Mom feel about you dragging her all the way out to Colorado?"

"Your mother and I are divorced," he informed.

"Really?" he asked shocked. "Cause mom was devastated when she lost you. She never got over it."

"It was me that was devastated when I lost you and then I pushed her away and lost her," he admitted.

"Mom died a few years ago in my reality. Can I see her?" he wondered.

"I'll work on something," he assured. "So, your mom and George raised ya, huh?"

"Janet helped," he informed. "She kind of took over being mom after I lost Mom and George. Though the last couple years she's been more of an aunt figure."

"And Carter?" he wondered.

Charlie replied, "She's my wife."

Jack chocked, "What?"

He explained, "There wasn't anyone there to do a ceremony but we made vows to each other six months ago. Sam's said it was a common law marriage. We never told anyone or made a big deal out of it. Janet knows we were together but we didn't have a ceremony or anything."

"Carter is twice your age," huffed Jack.

He rebutted, "When your world has been invaded by aliens and your government collapses and people are dropping dead all around you, age isn't that big of a deal, Dad."

He rebutted, "Carter is not your wife here."

"I'll win her back," he declared.

Jack huffed, "You will stay away from her. Got it?"

Charlie cocked his head to the side, "What's it to you? Why are you so upset over Sam and me? Sam is a loving and caring woman and very intelligent. You should like her."

"I do like her," he informed. "I just don't like the idea of my nineteen year old son in a relationship with a woman twice his age."

Charlie pointed a finger at him, "Your son died. My father died. We are two different people from two different realities. I am no more your son than you are my father."

Jack was hurt by the words but they rang true for this was not the same boy he recalled. Charlie was a man who lived a very hard life under an alien invasion. They had no relationship as father and son. But he had a budding relationship with Sam and they were slowly growing closer. He wasn't sure just how he would handle the situation but he knew Charlie needed to go on with his life and not think of Sam as his wife in this new world.

**Meanwhile**

Janet Frasier wandered the halls of the SGC and found herself at Daniel's office door. She peeked inside and spotted him working over an artifact. She leaned against the door and simply watched as he diligently worked.

Daniel caught a glimpse of her out of the corner of his eye; he looked up, "Janet." He was curious as to why she was standing in his door.

"Mind if I come in, Dr. Jackson?" she wondered.

He replied, "Not at all!" and motioned for her to enter.

She walked over to the table and looked upon his work, "What'cha doing?"

"'Daniel'" he smiled. "You always called me by my first name."

"But I just met you," she reminded, "Daniel."

He paused and sighed, "So you just did. It's nice having you back in the SGC…" he tailed off in thought.

"What?" she wondered.

He sighed, "You're not really back. You're a little different from our Janet."

"For me it's kind of hard to be back someplace when I was never there in the first place." She then confessed, "I wish people would stop confusing me with her. I'm not my alternate and I lived a different life. People here act like I'm supposed to be an officer in the military again and honestly…I don't want to do that."

"You don't want to work here?" he wondered.

"I do in way," she confessed. "I just don't want to be the CMO and have everyone think I'm her. I don't have an adopted daughter that I never met. The highest rank I achieved was captain and I was never a CMO in the SGC. Heck, we never even had an SGC. We had an invasion instead."

Daniel put down his work and turned his attention to her, "I know you are not our Janet. I know you lived a different life and it was a much harder life. And you don't have to pick up where she left off. That would be unfair to you and her memory. I want you to do what you are comfortable doing."

She laughed, "Fighting the Jaffa! Because that's what I got really good at. That and combat medicine."

"If that's what you want to do then yes," Daniel agreed.

She smirked, "It's that how my alternate died?"

He nodded, "It is! But she died doing what she loved to do."

Janet sat down on a stool beside him, "I don't know if I would be willing do that now. Before I had no choice and for long time all I wanted to do was find a safe place for me, Sam and Charlie to live out our lives. The SGC is not exactly what I had in mind."

"But you and Charlie are safe here," he assured. "You can start a whole new life here."

"You know I read your file after the invasion and I always wished I could have met you because you sounded like a caring and insightful man." She smiled, "I'm glad I got a chance too."

"I'm just glad I got a chance to see you again," he informed, "even if you never met me before."

She suggested, "Since I'm going to be living in Colorado Springs maybe you can show me around town, Daniel?"

"I would love to," he assured her.

**Meanwhile**

Charlie left his father's office and went looking for Sam. One way or another he had to win her back. He couldn't just let it all go now. He had fought too hard and his Sam suffered and died sending him and Janet to their new home. No, he wasn't going to let her sacrifice be in vain for he knew she loved him. He walked to her lab and paused at the door. He looked in and found she was fiddling with some gadget and working once more. Even in another reality all she seemed to do was work.

Charlie asked, "What'ch rigging now?"

Sam looked over her shoulder and saw Charlie leaning against the wall smirking her in much the same manner Jack would. He was the spitting image of his father and carried himself in the much the same way.

"I'm fixing this meter," she informed. She then stopped her work and wiped her hands clean for she wanted to speak candidly with Charlie. "Can we talk?"

He walked over to her table and took a seat beside her, "Shoot."

"Janet told me about you and my alternate," she informed.

"She did?" he asked a bit surprised for he figured Janet would have said nothing for it was none of her business.

"She did," confirmed Sam. "You and I need to get a few things straight here, Charlie. I'm not her. I'm not your girlfriend."

"My wife," he corrected. "We were married the last six months."

She squinted, "My alternate married you?"

He nodded, "We exchanged vows but there wasn't anyone around to actually marry us. It was common law."

"Well," she sighed. "We are not married here and I have my own life to live."

"I never said you didn't," he informed.

Sam confirmed, "Then you understand there can never be a relationship between us!"

"I understand that you are not the same Sam that I married but in a way you are the same Sam that I married and I know you very well," he insisted. "I know everything about you. I know that Glenn Miller is your favorite musician. I know you always wanted to learn to play the piano. I know that you don't like rock music. I know your favorite dessert is berry flavored gelatin and boy was that hard to find. But I did find you some for your birthday. I know you sleep on the left side of the bed. I know you are a mechanic and can you can be pretty handy with a wrench. And I know you always put the people around you before yourself."

"You know me pretty well," she admitted. "But I don't really know you."

He crossed his arms and puckered in thought, "Let's see…Me. I'm a mechanic, a carpenter, a plumber and an electrician. I like the bands from the nineteen seventies and eighties. You and George taught me to fly. You also taught me physics and how to use build computers and write programs. Janet taught me some medicine. George taught me war theory. I sleep on the right side of the bed. I like to listen to the rain hitting the roof in the morning. I like the smell of spring and fall. I like to fish even if I don't catch anything."

She found herself emotionally pulled into his confessions for he sounded like his father. Sam gulped and asked, "Is your favorite cereal _Fruit Loops_?"

"When I was a child," he replied a bit baffled. "I would rather have eggs and bacon if we can find it. I haven't had cereal in years and it's hard to find anyways…Not to mention stale."

Sam gathered, "So it was your favorite cereal when you were a kid. Now I understand that."

"Understand what?" asked Charlie.

Sam explained, "I figured it was your memory but your father eats _Fruit Loops _for breakfast."

Charlie's face soured, "My father still eats kid's cereal?"

She nodded, "I think it was because of you."

"He ate _Captain Crunch _when I was a kid too," he informed. "Mom used to yell at him for eating my cereal." He started to laugh at the memory, "He would get up and sneak into the kitchen and take a half empty box of my cereal and take out the bag and put it in an empty _Cheerios'_ box so Mom thought I was eating all this cereal and in reality it was my father."

Sam squinted and wiggled her finger, "I can see him doing that."

Charlie gently grasped her hand and looked her in the eye, "I know you don't know me very well. How about we start fresh and pretend we don't know each other at all. We can be friends for a while and get to know each other again."

Sam cautioned, "We only be friends, Charlie."

"Just get to know me before deciding that you don't want me," he pleaded. "After you get to know me, if you still don't have feelings for me, then I will go on with my life…Okay?"

Sam reluctantly agreed, "I'll take the time to get to know you."

"Thank you," he leaned over and kissed her cheek. "You won't regret this."

Sam gave another heavy sigh, "I hope not."

**The Next Morning**

Jack was determined to ensure Charlie's future. He still felt guilt ridden when it came to his son and the accidental shooting that took his young son's life. He was given a second chance with this Charlie and he wasn't going to throw that away. Jack was certain that deep down inside that angry young man was the sweet little boy he recalled. He simply needed to help Charlie adjust to his new life and cope with everything he had been through.

Jack pulled every favor owned to him to get Charlie enrolled in the local Air Force Academy. It wasn't an easy task to him enrolled for Charlie had no records, no test, and no history. Jack also pulled every favor owed to have Charlie enrolled early otherwise it would take a year to get Charlie in the program. Jack held a folder full of papers for Charlie's new academic career as he walked into the commissary for breakfast. He looked about for his son and spotted him sitting with Janet, Sam and Daniel at a table eating breakfast. He walked over to the head of the table and pulled a chair. He swung the chair around and sat down with his arms resting on the chair back.

"Morning campers," he smiled at them.

Janet greeted him with a bright smile, "Good morning, General O'Neill." So far Janet thought Jack was a sweetheart and hadn't had any issues with him. He was handsome, cheerful and caring in her eyes. He hadn't snipped at her or called her a "Napoleon Power Monger" just yet.

"Frasier," he replied. He then looked at Charlie, "I got ya something."

Charlie finished his eggs and toast and looked at his father as he held a piece of bacon, "What?"

Jack slid the folder before him, "You're in! You start Monday. I will personally take you in for orientation this weekend."

Charlie sighed enthused and picked up the folder, "The Air Force Academy, Dad?"

Jack patted his thick shoulder, "Yup! You're gonna love it." He noticed as he touched the shoulder just how muscular Charlie's shoulder seemed to be. His shoulder was thick as a Marine's. He figured it was due to the fighting that Charlie endured.

Charlie was about to slide the folder back when Sam spoke up. "That's terrific, Charlie! You are gonna love the Academy."

He asked, "You think I should go?"

She nodded enthused, "Yes! I went there. Janet went there. Your father went there. It's an honor to get in." She looked at Jack, "How did you get him in so fast?"

"I pulled a few favors," he admitted.

Sam's eyes grew wide, "Those most have been some favors." She looked at Charlie and assured him, "Charlie, it's not easy getting into the Academy. They are very picky and your father had to do some extra work to get you in to give you this chance. I think going to the Academy is a great idea and it will do wonders for you." Sam had another reason for Charlie to go. He would be around young women and she hoped he would soon forget all about her and find a girlfriend.

With Sam urging him to go he reluctantly agreed, "Okay, I'll go…Happy Dad?"

He nodded, "Yes…I am."

Janet assured, "The Academy will be a breeze for you, Charlie. You already know all the important stuff. You just need to learn regulations and how to march."

Jack added, "And a major for his career." He looked at his son, "Like science or physics."

Janet quipped with a smirk, "Or medicine!" Of course she dreamed of Charlie attending Harvard.

Jack countered smugly, "I was thinking he should go into war theory and learn strategies. He can be a commanding officer of a SG team then."

Janet rebutted, "He can already do that now, sir. Charlie was the unit commander for me and Sam."

Sam gave a cock-eyed look, "But he's only nineteen. Wouldn't you or I be the unit commander?"

She shook her head, "I was in charge of the medical aspects and you were technical. Charlie is the genius when it comes to battle plans."

Charlie puffed out his cheeks, "I'm gonna be bored out of my mind in this Academy."

Daniel came to his aid, "Jack, I know you want what is best for Charlie and you want him to go the Academy and become a commission officer but Charlie did spend years fighting the Goa'uld. First it was Ra and then Apophis. Most of the kids in the Academy have no idea what a Goa'uld even is. Perhaps it would be better to assess Charlie's skills before sending him someplace that he may not even like."

"What do you want me to do, Daniel?"

"Test him," he suggested.

"How?" snorted Jack. He didn't want to test Charlie. He wanted Charlie to have a normal life.

"Send him off world with me and Sam," he suggested. "We have an opening on SG-1 and if Charlie is half the man I think he is, he might fill in just fine."

Jack gulped, "You want me to send my son off world with you?" Jack feared Charlie would be killed or worse.

"I'm pretty sure Charlie can handle himself," Daniel assessed.

Jack looked to Sam who found that suddenly her opinion mattered. She looked at Jack and then at Charlie who pleaded with puppy dog eyes. The same puppy dog eyes that Jack pleaded with for he knew that Charlie would listen to Sam.

Sam soon found herself torn between Jack and his son as each looked to her for an opposite opinion. She could only conclude, "Charlie does need to be assessed to see what his skill levels are. If he goes to the Academy and knows everything they will teach then he will be very bored." She looked at Jack and winced, "I'm sorry sir."

Charlie smiled brightly at the decision as Jack soured. Daniel soon figured there was a developing rift between father and son but he had no idea just deep that rift could go.


	3. Chapter 3

Chapter 3

General George Hammond arrived at the SGC to see a very special person. He couldn't believe his ears when Jack called him and informed that Dr. Janet Frasier had stepped through the Gate the day prior. How he wanted to see the doctor once more for the CMO had died under his watch. Hammond was informed of the situation and though this Janet Frasier was from an alternate reality, he simply didn't care. To him, Janet was home again and that was all that mattered. As the elevator descended deeper into the mountain George glanced over his dark blue uniform and ensured there was no lint or dust to be found with a swipe of a hand. The elevator came to a stop and the door slid open to reveal Jack standing in the hallway with a young man by his side. Charlie wanted to see George Hammond as much as George wanted to see Janet.

"George," Jack greeted as Hammond stepped off the elevator.

"Jack," he smiled back. He then glanced at the young man and could only guess who he was, "Is this your son?"

Charlie was still getting used to the people that he knew not knowing him in return. A man who raised him like his own son had no idea who Charlie was. He gulped rather disturbed.

Jack nodded, "Yes…This is Charlie. Charlie already knows you though. Your alternate knew him in his reality."

George smiled at the young man, "So he did. I'm pleased to meet you, Charlie."

"My father died in my reality and then you helped raise me," he informed. "I'm glad to see you again, George."

"Ah-ham," Jack coughed and spoke to Charlie, "You don't call a commanding officer by his first name, son."

"What?" he asked confused.

"'Sir,'" Jack injected. "You call a commanding officer 'sir.'"

Hammond assured, "It's perfectly alright, Jack. He just got here and needs some time to adjust."

Charlie grinned, "I need some time to adjust…Sir."

Jack shot him a look to behave himself, "Cool it, Charlie."

"Is that why Sam calls you 'sir' all the time?" he wondered.

"Yes," Jack huffed. "And that's 'Colonel Carter' to you from now on."

Charlie stood baffled and asked, "You want me to address my wife as 'Colonel Carter?'"

Jack snorted at him, "She is not your wife!"

Hammond stood rather baffled and asked, "Excuse me?"

He explained, "Apparently their Carter had a thing for guys half her age."

"You're twice her age," his son rebutted.

Jack growled, "I'm not the one claiming she is my wife."

"She is," he insisted.

"Not my Carter," he glared at him. "She met you yesterday."

Hammond asked, "Just what is going on, Jack?"

"Apparently my son from an alternate reality, married Carter from alternate reality and she died sending him here. Now he thinks our Carter is going to be his new wife." Jack tried to explain as best he could but even he had trouble understanding what he just said.

Hammond gapped trying to processes the information, "Our Colonel Carter is not his wife."

"Correct," agreed Jack.

"But your son from another reality was married to Colonel Carter in that other reality?" Hammond tried to clarify.

Charlie interrupted, "No! She wasn't a colonel. She was a former captain and the military fell apart after we were invaded by Ra. She wasn't an officer."

Hammond pondered, "I see. Young man, Colonel Carter is not your wife. You realize that?"

Charlie gave up and simply nodded, "Yeah, I got that."

"I would like to see, Dr. Frasier."

Jack motioned, "This way."

**Meanwhile**

Janet and Sam sat at breakfast together. They both wore blue battle dress uniforms and Sam took the time to see how Janet was adjusting. She ate her waffle and looked across to Janet who nibbled at some toast.

"How did you sleep last night?" Sam wondered.

Janet gave a nod, "Actually pretty well. The most comfortable bed that I have had in years."

"How are you adjusting?" she wondered.

"Well," she made a face. "Everyone here knows me and I don't know any of them. It's kind of intimidating. I was up half the night talking with Daniel and he knows me so well because he knew my alternate for years and I just met him and I hardly know him at all. The only one here I feel like I actually know is you, Sam. You're a lot like the Sam that I knew in my world."

"So, what did I do in your world?" wondered Sam. "Other than sleep with nineteen year olds," she miffed.

"You loved Charlie," Janet insisted. "You would have done anything for him. I know you. I know the type of man you like. You like a man who can carry his own, is brilliant and won't back down…A man who will be there for you come hell or high water…A man like Charlie. He's stubborn and pigheaded as they come but when the rubber meets the road he will be there backing you." She then sighed in thought, "I'm not sure where he gets that from. Sarah said he reminded her of his father but now that I have met General O'Neill, I'm not so sure."

Sam cocked an eye, "You're not?"

Janet smiled with a dreamy look, "General O'Neill is so sweet and kind. He's came to my room last night and made sure I have everything I needed. He's very considerate and very handsome."

Sam dropped her fork as she looked at Janet's love-sick expression as she described a man who was anything but Jack O'Neill. The fork clanked on the plate snapping Janet out of the daydream.

Janet motioned, "You dropped your fork, Sam? Are you feeling okay?"

"Are you?" gasped Sam.

"What?" Janet asked confused.

"General O'Neill is many things: He's stubborn, pigheaded and a brilliant strategist. The one thing he is not is sweet, kind and considerate." Sam shook her head, "You and him would go toe-to-toe over orders once in a while."

"Really?" she asked bewildered. "I can't see that. I mean I occasionally have to sit on Charlie but his father is so much more mature."

Sam picked up her fork and waving it slightly, "When you were describing Charlie you were describing General O'Neill."

Janet pondered, "Really? Because I just don't see it."

Sam then took a sip of coffee and warned, "Give it time. You will." She looked up and Jack walked into the commissary with Charlie and General Hammond in tow. She motioned, "It looks like you have a visitor."

Janet turned and her eyes settled on George Hammond. She dropped her toast and rose to her feet and rushed to greet him.

"George?" she asked unsure.

General Hammond was a bit taken for the late Dr. Frasier from the SGC never called him by his first name. Then he reminded himself she was not an officer in the Air Force and was in fact a civilian. He then smiled at her.

"Dr. Frasier," he greeted her as she embraced him.

She gave a funny look, "You used to call me by my first name."

His mind shifted gears for Major Janet Frasier had died in the line of duty and this Janet Frasier had not been in the SGC or under his direct command. He simply replied with a smile, "I could get used to that."

"Sit with us, George." she insisted.

"I would love too," he agreed.

Sam had stood to attention and greeted him accordingly, "Sir."

"At ease, Colonel." he replied and took a seat beside Janet at the table.

Sam sat back down as Charlie soured at how Sam hopped to attention when George Hammond entered the room. He wasn't used to seeing her act in such a way. He wasn't used to seeing her salute fellow officers and say "sir" to his father all the time. Matter of fact, he hated it. Charlie went to sit beside Sam when Jack took the seat first forcing him another seat over. He was certain his father made the move on purpose to force him further away from Sam.

After losing Janet once and getting her back, Jack decided he needed to be extra nice to the doctor to make her comfortable enough to want to work at the SGC. He smiled at Janet from across the table, "Morning, Frasier. How did you sleep last night?"

She smiled back, "Very well."

"That extra blanket help?" he wondered.

"Perfect," she nodded.

He looked over to Charlie, "Why don't get Frasier and George some coffee?"

Charlie narrowed his eyes at his father for he got the feeling he was being turned into an errand boy.

Janet shook her head, "Charlie doesn't have to get me coffee."

"Why don't you get us coffee, Dad?" he snipped back.

Jack's eyes narrowed as he looked at his son in return. How could his sweet little boy who wanted to be just like him as a child act…Well…Just like him! It was insane to Jack. His memories of Charlie as a sweet little boy were slowly giving way to the reality that his son grew up to be his spitting image. He even looked like Jack when he was his age. Charlie had his height, his hair, his brown eyes and they shared the same taste in women.

Hammond chuckled for he could see the writing on the wall as Charlie and his father were about to butt heads. He assured, "My doctor says I need to cut back on caffeine. I'm fine."

Jack looked at Charlie, "I could use a cup of coffee, Charlie?"

"So could I," he rebutted.

"Go get it," he insisted.

Charlie asked, "Why don't you go get it?"

Jack smiled and replied, "Because if you keep this crap up…I will tell your mother."

Oh, he pulled the "I will tell your mother" card. No son could trump that card for his mother always had the last say. He sighed, "Fine." He got up and went to get the coffee.

Janet asked amused, "Has he seen Sarah yet?"

"Not yet," Jack replied. "I'm working on setting something up." He asked, "Did you know her?"

She nodded, "Yeah, Sam and I both did. She was part of our team for a while. She could handle a rifle pretty good."

He cocked his head to the side and asked, "His mother could handle a rifle?"

"Sam taught her," she informed. "I mean our Sam."

"I see," Jack pondered. "She just never came across as anyone who would want to shoot anything."

"After your whole world is invaded you do what you have to," countered Janet. "Charlie was our best shot though. He could work that lever action rifle single handed while on a motorcycle."

Jack gasped, "Are you serious?"

She continued, "We found out early on that we needed high caliber weapons to fight back. Charlie favors the forty-four mag. He likes to keep the rifle and side arm the same caliber so you don't have to store two different ammunitions. He never liked the semi-autos for some reason but the first type of ammunition to run dry was for the semi-auto handguns and military rifles. George, your alternate gave him the lever action rifle and the revolver that he brought with him." She grinned, "There is something about Texas that the Goa'uld just don't like."

Hammond asked, "My alternate gave him the weapons he came here with?"

She grinned, "Yup."

"I thought I recognized that rifle," he remarked.

Charlie came back with a tray of coffee. He placed one down before Sam and one before Janet. He then placed one for himself and handed Jack his coffee last. He took his seat at the table.

Surprised Sam assured him, "You don't have to get me coffee, Charlie."

"I get your coffee every morning," he told her with a smile.

"That's very sweet of you," she sighed wishing he wasn't so nice to her. She also wished he wasn't so good looking for that made distancing herself from him much harder.

Jack took a sip, "There is no sugar in this?"

Charlie smirked, "Just add some _Fruit Loops_."

He retorted, "That was your favorite cereal, Charlie."

"So was _Captain Crunch_," he reminded.

Jack miffed, "Don't knock the Captain."

Soon Daniel and Teal'c joined them for breakfast as well. Daniel took a seat at the table, "Morning! George, it's good to see you again."

He smiled politely, "It's good to see you too, Dr. Jackson."

Teal'c said nothing and took a seat beside Sam. He simply started to eat.

Charlie looked at the face of the Jaffa who killed his wife sitting next to her alternate as they casually ate breakfast. His stomach soured and he couldn't eat anymore. He stood up and excused himself, "I'm not gonna stomach this." He then turned and walked away.

Janet started to go after him when Jack stopped her, "I'll take care of it." He got up and went after his son. He found him in the hall hyperventilating while leaning against a wall. Jack asked him, "What was that?"

Charlie looked up and swallowed the taste of vomit in his mouth, "I cannot sit down and eat breakfast with the Jaffa that killed Sam."

"He didn't kill her and he's sitting right next to Carter," he rebutted.

"I know that!" he hollered. "He's has his face. It's the same damn image and there is no way I am going to stomach that. You have no idea what this is like."

"Like hell I don't," rebutted Jack. "I see the image of the man who killed my son every god-damn day when I look in the mirror."

"You said it was an accident," he replied.

Jack confirmed, "It was. But it was my fault. I came home and removed my service weapon from the holster and placed it right on the TV that you were sitting in front of. I told you not to touch and figured that was enough. You were so well behaved that I never thought you would pick up that gun and play with it. I didn't even take five seconds to drop the magazine and remove the round from the chamber. I walked back out of the house and five minutes later you were dead. It was my fault because I know not to leave my gun where a nine year old boy could play with it. And every god-damn day I see the face of the man who killed him in the mirror and I will see that image until I die."

Charlie sighed, "I never touched your gun and you always left it there."

"In this reality you did," reminded Jack. Curiously he wondered, "How old were you when George taught you to handle a gun?"

"I was ten when he took me hunting. I wasn't an actual fighter until I was twelve," he informed. "George handed me a lever action twenty-two and taught me to hunt squirrel and rabbit. That's how we ate."

Jack soured, "You were eating squirrel and Teal'c turns your stomach?"

"His alternate killed Sam," he reminded.

Jack wondered, "Did you get him?"

He nodded, "I did."

"Then you got the Jaffa that killed your Carter," he insisted. "Our Jaffa didn't do that. Do you have any idea what Teal'c has sacrificed to help us? He lost his family, the respect of his village and was branded a traitor."

"I didn't know that," he admitted feeling a bit ashamed.

He assured, "We all lost something, Charlie. You know that I would want revenge if someone killed Carter. I would go after him both barrels too. So, I don't blame you for that. But, Carter here is alive and well and wants to give you a chance on SG-1. Teal'c is also on SG-1. I want you to go to the Academy, graduate with high honors and then get a cushy desk job where you will be set for the rest of your life. I'm afraid if I send you off world with SG-1 that I will lose you again. And if that happens then the image of the man who killed my son a second time will still be my reflection in the mirror."

Charlie sucked back a tear for he was still reeling from his loss and held his father tight. It had been a rollercoaster ride for Charlie. First he lost his father and then his world. Then he gained a wife and lost her within six months. Then he got a new home and his father back but his wife was out of arms' reach.

"I'm sorry," he cried holding onto Jack.

"I understand," Jack assured him. "Now, how about some breakfast?"

Charlie nodded wiping away tears, "_Fruit Loops_?"

He paused, "I was thinking _Lucky Charms _today."

"Sounds good," Charlie agreed and walked with his father back inside the commissary.

**Two Weeks Later**

The last two weeks was challenging for everyone in the SGC. Charlie had met with his mother briefly and also completed a two week crash course required to take to be certified to go off world.

Janet took a job as a SGC doctor working under the CMO, Dr. Lamb. Daniel however was rather curious and worried about Janet. She seemed naïve to Jack's true nature as she often referred to the General as "charming" and "sweet." He also noticed Jack was being charming and sweet towards the doctor and he assumed Jack was simply being overly nice due to the fact that their Janet had died and he felt guilty in some way. So, Daniel decided to have a word with Jack prior to going off world with Charlie.

Daniel walked into Jack's office, "Jack," he stated. He wore the green DBU's and was gearing up for his next trip off world.

Jack looked up from behind his desk, "Don't you ever knock?"

His friend paused, "Knocking? Oh you mean that thing where one taps on a door to see if anyone is home or as a courtesy before entering a room. That thing you never do!"

"What is it, Daniel?"

"Do get me wrong," he held up a hand, "but why are you being so nice to Janet? She thinks you are this sweet, charming man."

He smirked, "I am sweet and charming."

"This is Janet we are talking about," he huffed. "She never spent all that time in the SGC with you. She actually thinks you are as nice as you are pretending to be."

Jack replied, "Hey, I like this version of Frasier. She doesn't pull rank and smiles at me more."

Daniel warned, "I think she is developing a crush on you."

His face drew long, "Frasier has a crush on me?"

He argued, "Can you blame her? You're a General and you have been catering to her needs. You make sure she has enough blankets. You make sure she is comfortable. You make sure she has enough money to buy things. Heck, I would have a crush on you too if you did that to me."

He scoffed, "I was trying to make sure she was comfortable. She's a refugee."

"Charlie is a refugee and you don't do that to him," he countered.

"He's a guy," he huffed. "Guys don't make sure guys have enough blankets. He's old enough to get his own blanket now."

Daniel sighed and touched his temple for a moment in thought, "I suggest you stop catering to Janet so much. We were all devastated by her loss, Jack. And I want more than anything for this Janet to be a carbon copy of our Janet and fit right in but she's not. She's different and she has no idea just what a pain in the ass you really are."

He rolled his eyes, "Don't you have to mission to get ready for, Daniel?"

"Yes," he agreed. "Just ease up on Janet."

Jack smirked, "She's not the CMO. She can't pull rank on me and I can be as charming towards her as I want to be."

He warned, "She can still stick you in the ass with a needle, Jack."

He smirked, "But I'm charming."

"See you when we get back." As Daniel left the office he passed Sam coming to see Jack in the briefing room. He stopped and asked, "Everything okay, Sam?"

She came to a halt and let out a heavy sigh, "It's Charlie."

Daniel asked, "What about him?"

"I'm not too sure if you know but apparently he and my alternate had a relationship and he doesn't seem to be able to get past her," she replied. "I'm not too sure about going off world with him."

He soothed her, "Sam, you have been handling him for the last two weeks. He will be fine."

"He's been busy going through certification," she countered. She then added, "He breezed right through it too. He's stubborn as can be and has this idea in his head that we are supposed to be married."

He placed his hands on her shoulder and looked her in the eye, "Sam, he's not your average nineteen year old. That's why we are letting him off world with us. But if you can move his perception of you from wife to a mother figure, then I think you could get a better handle on this."

She gently touched his arm, "I hope so. He watched her die in his arms and I just don't want to hurt him."

"He's a survivor," Daniel reminded. "He survived against all odds. He will be fine." He then gave an assuring smile and walked by her.

She continued to Jack's office and stood in the doorway, "You wanted to see me, sir?"

He motioned for her to come in, "Close the door."

She complied and took a seat across from him. She waited for whatever Jack was about to say.

"We need to keep Charlie pointed in one direction," he started.

"I agree," she nodded.

"This is off the record, Sam." he informed casually. "For a moment let's just pretend we are not in the military and we are simply two adults who are concerned for the welfare of one young man, Charlie. You can speak candidly to me now."

She leaned closer and placed her elbow on the desk and her head in the palm of her hand and stated, "I have no idea how to get him redirected off of me. He's convinced that I will fall in love with him and just become her. It's like having a deceased twin sister. And he was her lover and thinks I should be just like her."

"That's the reason I want him in the Academy. To start to date girls his own age and not be focused on you." he admitted.

"I think it will be good for him," she agreed. "Even if he only goes part-time and stays here the other half of the time. I think it will be good for him over all. To be honest it's a bit uneasy being the object of affection of a nineteen year old."

Jack agreed, "I imagine it is. Too bad Thor can't just make a nineteen year old version of you…"

She threw him a look.

"Just a thought," he shrugged. A smile crept across his face as he pictured a teenage version of Sam.

She knew the look and rebutted, "Don't laugh. Poor Janet thinks you are Prince Charming right now. She has no idea how you two could go at it."

He assured, "I never intended to for her to get a crush on me. I just thought if I made her feel welcomed she would think about staying in the SGC. I was hoping she would take over being CMO from Lamb."

Sam wondered, "What's wrong with Dr. Lamb?"

His face soured, "She's just plain annoying and I'm not sure about her competence. She's an okay but not nearly as good as Frasier."

"Janet left some pretty big shoes to fill," Sam admitted.

"And your alternate sent us a replacement," he chirped.

"This isn't like a piece of equipment where if one part breaks you just insert another one," she rebutted. "Now I know where your son gets that from…You. You are doing to Janet what he is doing to me."

Jack pondered, "I am?"

She affirmed, "You are."

"Alright, I won't try to force this Frasier to act like our Frasier and we try to redirect Charlie to girls his own age." he proposed.

She sighed, "Might be easier if Loki just made a teenage clone of me like he did you." She then looked at Jack, "Charlie must come to terms with my alternate's death."

"He must," Jack agreed.


	4. Chapter 4

Chapter 4

Sam had gathered her team before the Gate dressed in the basic green BDU's. They waited for Charlie to arrive, who did so fashionably late. He wore green battle dress uniform and a tan ball cap. He sported sunglasses tucked in the neck of his t-shirt by the ear piece. Over all he looked like a young version of his father with the exception of on detail. He refused the military issued sidearm and went with the revolver that George Hammond gave him years prior. And since the revolver was too big to fit in the holster on the military issued vest, Charlie sported the weapon in a leg drop rig.

Daniel sighed, "Does he really need the _Dirty Harry _gun?"

Sam shrugged, "It has stopping power and his General Hammond gave it to him."

"It's a hand cannon," Daniel complained.

Teal'c stood by and simply observed the situation.

Sam noted, "Gosh, dressed like that he looks just his father…But younger."

Daniel quipped, "Maybe we should call him 'Mini-Jack?'"

She grit her teeth, "I wouldn't call him that unless you wanna get shot."

Charlie walked up to the trio, "Sam, Daniel…" he looked at Teal'c and took a deep breath for the memory of the Jaffa's alternate killing Sam in his world still burned. "T…" he used the nickname his father gave the former First Prime.

He nodded in returned, "CharlieO'Neill."

"So," he looked about. "I think I got everything."

Daniel asked, "Why the big gun?"

"It's a forty-four mag," he rebutted.

Daniel knew something about weapons but not as much as he should and wondered, "Why not take the Glock they issued you?"

Charlie made sour a face, "It's a Glock!"

Daniel wondered, "Is there something wrong with the sidearm?"

He nodded, "It's a Glock."

Sam assessed, "I take you are Glock biased?"

He admitted, "I really don't like them."

Daniel curiously asked, "Why?"

"Because they suck," he miffed.

Sam laughed, "Okay…But you get more rounds with a semi-auto than you do with an old wheel gun."

"I only need one," he assured. If there was one thing George Hammond drove home for Charlie it was the old school handling of weapons. Charlie had honed his ability to shoot a target with precision accuracy.

Sam shook her head and let out a laugh, "Okay Charlie, if you say so."

The Gate began to spin and the chevrons locked and coded. Finally the wormhole established before them with a burst of energy. She looked at Charlie, "Ready?"

He nodded, "As I will ever be."

"You will do fine," she assured him. "I know you will."

"This is only the second time I have ever actually gone through it," he informed.

"You'll get the hang of it," she grinned. Daniel and Teal'c both walked through the event horizon followed shortly after by Charlie. Sam paused and looked back up to the control room at Jack standing overhead watching them. She gave him a smile and then a nod and then turned and walked into the event horizon.

Jack stood in the control room watching as they left. The event horizon dissipated and he stood pondering if letting Charlie go was the right thing to do. He wasn't sure but he did know his son was with SG-1. Sam, Daniel and Teal'c would watch over him and he found comfort in that fact as he feared Charlie would not return.

**PX 524**

Charlie stepped through the Gate and found the sun shining brightly. He placed the sunglasses on his nose and looked about. The Gate sat in a grassy field surrounded by a rolling hills and a pine forest under a blue sky. It looked much like a wooded forest from North America.

Charlie remarked, "Lots of woods."

Sam agreed with a smirk, "Look Charlie…Trees." She kept a straight face while laughing to herself at her joke.

"Ruins are this way," stated Daniel then started down the stone steps of the platform.

Charlie asked, "What kinds of wildlife can we find here?"

"The wildlife here is a lot like what you would find in an American forest." Sam explained, "Squirrels, raccoons, deer and such."

Charlie sighed, "Kind of like camping when I was a kid."

She smiled, "Did you go camping a lot with your father?"

"All the time," he recalled. "We would camp in a tent and eat canned food because Dad never caught any fish. Boy he really sucked at that." He started to laugh, "I remember one year Dad pitched the tent righting on a watershed path and it poured that night and we suddenly had a river flowing through tent. We ended up sleeping in the car."

Sam walked beside Charlie and grinned, "I always thought your father was good at camping. He seemed to do well off world."

He admitted, "I always thought so too when I was a kid. Then I went to live with George and he taught me how to camp and hunt. I would have starved otherwise."

"General Hammond has some pretty big shoes to fill," she replied. She then grinned at him, "It's not really a fair comparison."

He agreed, "I don't know…They are both pretty cool."

"That they are," she cheered.

After an hour of walking the came across the ruins they were sent to study. It was the stone square structure half covered with moss and surrounded by trees.

Sam assured Charlie, "This is pretty much a cake walk. We've been here before many times. You and Teal'c just stand guard while Daniel and I go inside the main structure."

Charlie paused, "Don't you think you should sweep it for traps and such first? Someone could have been here."

Sam assured, "We have had it under surveillance." She then led Daniel inside the structure leaving Charlie and Teal'c standing guard outside. Charlie leaned against the stone wall and Teal'c stood beside him scanning the area for movement.

He opened his canteen and took a sip of water. "I don't like it," he told him.

Teal'c looked at him and then back at the surrounding forest.

"It's too easy," Charlie insisted.

Teal'c said nothing.

Charlie looked up at him and stated, "You don't talk much, do you?"

Teal'c continued to scan for any signs of trouble, "I do not."

He asked, "Why?"

"I speak only when it is necessary," he assured.

Charlie stood in silence thinking about what Teal'c had said. He stated, "That's a good policy to have at times."

"Indeed," Teal'c agreed.

He miffed, "Especially when it comes to women."

Teal'c smiled slightly, "Indeed."

**SGC**

Jack was soon made aware of a medical emergency that was taking hold when all four member of SG-5 fell ill with a mysterious form of hemorrhagic fever. He was called to the infirmary by the Chief Medical Officer, Dr. Lamb.

Dr. Lamb stood in her lab coat that covered her dress uniform. She was half Asian on her mother's side and her father a well-known General, Hank Landry. Janet tried to assist the doctor but often felt like she was in the way at times. Both women tended to the microscope in the pathology lab as they tried to determine the pathogen via the reports on the computer screen.

Jack asked, "What we got?" as he entered the lab.

Dr. Lamb replied, "Some unknown pathogen that SG-5 brought back with them. It's a type of hemorrhagic fever. I have them in quarantine."

Jack noticed Janet stood rather quiet in her blue DBU's and a borrowed lab coat that didn't even have her name on it. She seemed to be pondering the results before her.

"Ever see anything like this before?" Jack asked.

Dr. Lamb shook her head, "Nope, it's not in any of the known literature and I went through all of our Dr. Fraiser's notes and found nothing of the sorts that even resembles this."

Jack looked at Janet, "Fraiser?"

She hesitated as she explained, "I never had access to the type of equipment in my world like what you have here in the SGC but I do recall some of Ra's Jaffa having something like this. When we were first invaded we lost a lot of people due to fighting but we lost even more due to an unknown hemorrhagic fever that went through the population. It wiped out about one third the population in the first year. Then we also had starvation and other known diseases that killed millions but the virus that the Jaffa brought killed Jaffa and humans alike. It started out as a simple cold and then progressed to the point of bleeding out cavities and SG-5 has similar symptoms to that fever that swept through my world."

Dr. Lamb rebutted, "But if Ra's Jaffa had brought this infection to your world then we should have seen it here years ago."

"Not all realities are the same," Janet reminded.

Lamb replied, "But Ra was a long time ago."

"And in this reality he was stopped on Abydos. In my reality he invaded Earth and brought diseases with him." she countered.

"Point taken," Lamb conceded.

Jack instructed, "Keep SG-5 in quarantined and keep me posted. If this is the virus that Fraiser had in her world we can't let it out."

"Yes sir," Lamb agreed.

"Fraiser," Jack started, "I want a full detailed account of everything you can remember about that virus. Where it originated from…Everything you know."

"I don't know what planet it originated from but I as I recall it was spread by fleas."

"Fleas?" he asked unsure.

"It wasn't a native flea," she informed, "and the alien fleas were resistant to all known pesticides. The survival rate for the alien virus was low. There were a few though and those who did survive were never affected by it again. They developed a natural immunity."

Jack asked, "Were you ever exposed?"

"Charlie and I both had it," she confirmed. "The fever is what killed our George Hammond a few years back."

Lamb suggested, "We should run some blood work on you to see if you have anti-bodies. If this is the same hemorrhagic fever you and Charlie were exposed too it could help us in the long run."

"I'll have some blood drawn," she agreed.

**Meanwhile**

So far the mission to PX 524 had been a cake walk. Everything had gone smoothly for SG-1. They had gathered their research equipment and headed back to the Gate. As they arrived at the tree line of the forest they soon discovered troops of Jaffa had arrived and set up a camp before the Gate. They hunkered down in the brush and Sam looked at the area through a monocular.

"Jaffa," she sighed and looked at her team.

Charlie retrieved his monocular and looked on for more detail, "Goa'uld?" He then handed the monocular to Teal'c.

The Jaffa looked through the glass and simple stated, "Qetesh."

Daniel added, "Egyptian goddess of fertility and sexual pleasure."

Sam stated, "She's more of a minor System Lord."

Charlie assessed, "It looks like she setting up camp right in front of the Gate."

Sam then grimaced, "There is no way we are gonna get past all those Jaffa today."

He agreed, "Let's fall back. Set up camp a few miles out and do some recon on these guys from a distance."

Sam looked over at him and stated, "That's actually a good idea, Charlie. But this is my team and I call the shots."

He gasped, "I…I…Never said it wasn't your team, Sam. I was just stating the obvious."

"Okay," she agreed. "But it sounded to me more like an order."

He argued, "You know I'm not gonna order you around."

"Actually, no I don't. I'm not your wife. I'm her alternate," she reminded him.

Charlie looked past Sam and spotted Daniel making a motion with his hand to not argue with her. All he could say was, "Yes dear."

Teal'c handed him back his monocular and stated in a low voice, "A wise man never speaks."

He meekly retrieved the glass, "I see that."

**SGC**

Jack was soon dealing with a contagion that was spiraling out of control. More men and women were falling ill and the commander of SG-5 had passed away of massive blood loss. On Dr. Lamb's order he moved to lock down the SGC.

Janet Fraiser found him in his office sitting behind his desk with his head in his hands. He seemed worried and exhausted to the doctor. "You okay?" she asked.

He looked up from his trouble and wished more than anything the Janet Fraiser standing before him was the same Janet Fraiser who had passed away mere months ago for his Janet would know exactly what to do.

"The virus is spreading faster than we can contain it. The SGC is on lockdown. No one comes in or out." he informed.

She wondered, "Has SG-1 come back yet?"

He shook his head, "They are overdue. Once they try to dial they will be instructed to go to the Alpha site."

She wondered, "What happens if we can't contain it?"

He gave a heavy sigh, "The SGC has its own Sampson Option."

"We're standing on a nuclear warhead?" she asked.

"The self-destruct is buried under our feet," he informed. "If this virus kills everyone off you will have to deploy it."

She gulped, "I have survived this virus and so has Charlie. We can make a cure. We just need time."

"The protocols are pretty strict when dealing with alien pathogens. That's your specialty, isn't it?"

She admitted, "It was but I haven't had any real work in that field in nearly a decade."

"We could kind of use that expertise right now, Fraiser." he pleaded.

"It will take time to isolate the anti-bodies and reproduce them," she replied. "And the first batch may not be very potent. I don't have all the equipment needed for a full scale pharmaceutical lab."

"Whatever you can do will be appreciated," he assured her.

"I will do my best," she replied. "I will need Charlie. When they dial in, have him sent through. I will need more anti-bodies and I can only stick myself so often."

"I will have him come through," he agreed.

She went to leave and paused, "You know…I think my alternate is the Janet Fraiser that you would rather have here right now. My experience is limited compared to hers."

Jack smiled, "That first year we were hit with alien pathogens and her experience was less than yours and she still managed to pull us through. I think you will do."

"I just hear about all these amazing things she did and…"

Jack interrupted, "You have done some really amazing things too. And you did it without the SGC or any massive black budget program backing you."

Janet felt a bit relieved as Jack encouraged her, "Thank you. You are an amazing and sweet man." She couldn't but smile and asked, "How is it that you are still single?"

He shrugged, "No reason." He chose not to disclose his feeling for Sam.

She wondered, "Were you and my alternate together?"

He shook his head wide-eyed, "No."

She curiously asked, "But you and she were good friends and got along great. I'm sure she just adored you." She smiled, "You're just my type, General. You're this beautiful man who is kind, caring and you are a humanitarian."

Jack was many things but what she described was not Jack. Perhaps he was being too nice to her? He wondered if his kindness towards her was clouding her judgment. As she looked at him with adoring eyes Jack decided he needed to get his Janet back once for all.

"Frasier," he huffed. "You just described Daniel! Now, get your ass to the lab and work on that cure."

She sucked in a breath, "Excuse me?" She had never heard him talk to her that way before and was most shocked.

He stood up from behind his desk and marched over to her and continued, "I wanted you to stay and work in the SGC, so…I was being extra nice to you. But that backfired because now you are acting like a lovesick teenager. We are in lockdown, we have an alien contagion that only you are familiar with and you are here dallying about. I know when Ra invaded your world he screwed everything up but you are a Napoleon Power Monger at heart and for Pete's sakes start acting like one!"

She spouted, "Did you just yell at me?"

Frustrated he huffed, "Yes!"

Something clicked deep down inside. It was as if a switch was thrown and after nearly a decade of barely surviving she found a spark was lit and familiar fire started to grow. Her heat thumped harder and her breathing deepened as she found that familiar feeling once more. As the fire grew in her heart she began to awaken from an emotional slumber brought on by Ra's invasion.

Her eyes narrowed and she snorted, "You want a Napoleon Power Monger than I will give you one."

"Good!" he huffed.

She turned sharply on her the heels of her combat boots and left his office determined to defeat the virus. As she started down the hall a grin crept across her face as she started to find her old self once more.

**PX 524**

SG-1 had fallen back to a nearby water source to set up camp. A large stream ran through an area of the forest a few miles away from the Gate. It would provide ample cover until they could figure a way past Qetesh and her Jaffa. Sam took Daniel with her to do more surveillance and she ordered Charlie to help Teal'c set up camp. Upon setting up the tents and digging in for an extended stay Charlie took inventory as Teal'c stood guard. He looked up at Teal'c who was hid in a nearby tree on look-out duty.

"We don't have much for rations," he stated. He looked at the horizon and then his wrist watch to determine how much sunlight they would have left. "Keep an eye out while I get us something for us to eat."

Teal'c gave a nod and then watched as Charlie opened his pack and retrieved a rolled up canvas. He untied the roll and laid out the pieces before him. He started to assemble what resembled a slingshot with an arm brace. He had four small aluminum shaft arrows in the kit that looked hand-made. He noticed the arrow heads were made of Teflon coated steel and they seemed rather deadly to the Jaffa. He observed as Charlie assembled the primitive weapon and then wandered knee-high into the stream. He loaded an arrow onto the sling and pulled it back lining up the arrow by eye-sight alone. He aimed for the water and let the arrow go. A fish popped up upon being struck with the arrow. Charlie lifted the dead fish out of the water by the impaled arrow. He looked up at Teal'c who had been watching him work the weapon.

As he put the fish on the shore he looked back up at Teal'c in the tree and spoke, "It's called a sling-bow. George taught me how to hunt with it when I was a kid."

Teal'c gave a nod of approval. He was rather impressed by the weapon for it was compact, simple but deadly. He watched as Charlie then returned to the stream and shot three more fish for them to eat. He had been on Earth for years and had never seen a slingshot turned into a bow. The weapon was most intriguing for Teal'c.

On shore Charlie then dropped to his knees and quickly disassembled the slingshot and cleaned the arrows of any tissue. He noticed Teal'c was still watching him. He added, "I made the arrows myself. I made them tough enough to go through Jaffa armor at close range."

"I see," the Jaffa replied.

As Charlie started to clean the fish for cooking Sam and Daniel walked back into camp. She looked up in the tree and gave a report to Teal'c, "We're gonna be here for a few days. Qetesh has a large contingency of Jaffa coming through the Gate." She then looked at Charlie and asked, "What are you doing?"

"I inventoried the rations and we don't have enough for a long stay. So, I got us some fish to eat." he explained.

"That last thing we need is a campfire," she rebutted.

"I know that," he assured rather annoyed and proceeded to make a small campfire that would not been seen during daylight. He let the wood burn down to ambers and then took the prepared fish that he wrapped in leaves and placed the fillets on the burning coals. He then placed on layers of gravel and then covered it all with dirt. He made an underground oven to bake the fish.

Daniel looked on rather surprised, "I remember reading about how to make that in the survival manual. I've never actually seen it done before…Pretty neat, Charlie."

He wiped the dirt from his hands; he looked up while still on his knees and smiled, "Ever eat a MRE ten years past the expiration date?"

Daniel shook his head, "Nope…They taste bad enough as it is."

"You won't get sick but won't feel good either," he reported. He looked at Sam, "I figured that since we won't be going back to the SGC tonight and possible not for a few days, then it would be best if we save the rations for later." He then dug out a MRE from his pack that he knew Sam didn't like, "Unless you really want Beef Stroganoff?"

She smirked, "I can't stand that one."

"I know," he grinned.

She then took a seat on a log near the shore of the stream and looked at Charlie's handiwork, "Alright, you obviously know what you are doing when it comes to camp. But my job is to assess your skills and I don't know how good you are in a firefight. And I have no doubt we will find ourselves in one soon."

Still on his knees he asked, "What are your plans?"

"We find a weak spot in the Jaffa guarding the Gate and exploit it," she explained.

Charlie suggested, "The best way to exploit the Jaffa is with a distraction. That will draw most of them away and leave a basic contingency force to deal with."

She nodded pondering, "True but we are mainly in a wooded area and a distraction big enough to draw most of the Jaffa would be difficult."

Daniel stated, "Qetesh just brought in Gliders through the gate to act as air support for her new base here. Teal'c could steal one of them and lead them on a wild goose chase."

Teal'c added, "I would require an engineer to effectively provide a distraction."

Sam grimaced, "And I would need to be that engineer."

"I can fly a Glider," Charlie informed. "We used to steal them all the time. We can take two Gliders. Me and Teal'c do it. All we need to do is fly around for a while near the area and then bail out upon hitting the self-destruct."

Sam cocked an eye, "The Gliders have a self-destruct?"

"Indeed," informed Teal'c.

Charlie asked, "What? You guys didn't know that?"

"We never found a self-destruct on any of the Gliders we got," she retorted.

Charlie explained, "It's through the battery. There is a switch to reverses the system and that causes a failure in the operating system. It takes about ten seconds, just enough time to bail. You type in the override code into the system and reverse the battery settings on the control panel."

"The self-destruct is hidden," she gathered. "We completely missed it."

"You're the one who taught me it in my reality," he replied.

"I guess I missed that one here," she gathered. "Charlie, how good of a pilot are you? Did I ever set a limit on what you could fly?"

"Nope," he cheered. "I can fly anything!" His mind wandered back, "When I was fifteen we were held up in Florida for a while. We went to a place called Cape Canaveral and you knew the place like the back of your hand. You got the flight simulator going and started my ground school in it. For fun you loaded up the old Space Shuttle program and we would fly it. You told me I could have been an astronaut if we were never invaded. You said I would have passed NASA's flight test." He smiled at the memory, "We even found some of the old blue jumpsuits they used and we would wear them for fun. You said it was a bit of normalcy…Something to take our mind off the fighting."

Sam gasped astonished, "I said you could have been an astronaut for NASA?"

He grinned, "Yeah! I barley remember NASA from when I was a kid. I remember they lost a few of the shuttles. When we were at Cape Canaveral we saw the memorial plagues and you were really sad whenever you would look at it."

"I imagine that I would be," she agreed. "Okay, we will plan on having Teal'c and Charlie each steal and Gliders and create a distraction. But we will need to do more recon on the Jaffa and Qetesh before we attempt that stunt. We need to know why she is here."

Daniel spoke, "My guess is to set up a new mining operation. This planet is rich in resources and is uninhabited."

She grimaced, "Which means she will be bringing in slaves by the hundreds if not thousands."

"We have to get out before she does that," stated Daniel.


	5. Chapter 5

Chapter 5

Night had fallen on the camp and Charlie was given guard duty to let Teal'c rest. He walked up the broadside of a nearby hill that over looked the camp. He sat under a tree with the monocular and looked about. Charlie was having a difficult time adjusting to his new life but for the moment his new life seemed much like his old life for he was on sentry duty guarding Sam. He spotted her silhouette as she made her way to his spot on the hill.

Sam walked up beside him in the dark and asked, "Mind if I join you?"

He motioned, "Not at all."

She took a seat on the ground beside him. She looked out over the area and saw nothing but moonlit shadows. Amber lights burned in the distance near the Gate where Qetesh had set up the beachhead.

"I just want to say that you made some pretty good calls today. I know I was a bit harsh but you did good," she told him.

"Thanks," he smiled at her. He could see her face in the moonlight. Her eyes seemed to soften as she looked upon him. "Did I make the cut?"

"We have to get back home first," she rebutted.

"What about Daniel and Teal'c? Do they want me on SG-1?" he wondered.

She grinned, "After that fish dinner you cooked they both want to marry you."

He smirked, "Well, then you will just have to tell them that I'm already taken."

She laughed, "To who?"

He leaned closer and looked deep into her eyes, "You."

Sam soon found herself lost in the moment as she was drawn into those big brown eyes. She wasn't sure how it happened but she became aware that she was kissing him. And what was worse, she rather enjoyed it. She gathered her wits and pushed him back by his shoulder.

She caught her breath and stated, "We can't do this!"

Charlie sat rather baffled and asked, "Why? Is it the age difference?"

The real reason Sam could not allow herself to become involved with Charlie was Jack. She was already in love with the General but she didn't want to hurt Charlie's feelings for she was very fond of him as well. She reached for an excuse.

"No, I'm seeing someone." she informed.

He wondered, "Who?"

She could not tell him the truth about her budding relationship with his father so she made up a lie, "His name is…Pete." Her mind went back to that awful date she had endured with the cop who was friends with her brother.

"You are seeing a guy named Pete?" he asked confused.

She laid it on thick, "And he's a cop." So far she had gone one date with Pete and had no intention of calling him back. She simply avoided his calls in hopes he would get the message.

"Okay," he sucked in a breath. "Let me meet him."

"What?" she gasped. "You want to meet him? Why?"

He explained, "To make sure he's an okay guy. I know you can't bring yourself to love me for whatever reason but at least let make sure this other guy is a good man."

"He's a cop," she smirked.

"Not all cops were good," he argued. "Trust me, when the shit hits the fan they will not be protecting your ass but their own."

She assured, "He's a good guy."

"Well," he figured. "When we get back I want to meet him."

Sam's excuse just backfired for she never wanted to see Pete again and now it appeared she backed herself into a corner with the lie. She had two choices: Confess to the lie or date Pete. She placed her head in her hands and sighed.

**SGC**

Dr. Janet Fraiser was working in the lab on her serum to counter the hostile virus that had run rampant in the SGC. Men and women were falling ill all around her despite protocols to contain the epidemic.

Dr. Lamb walked into the lab to check on the progress, "How's it going Dr. Fraiser?"

Janet sighed in despair, "I simply don't have enough immunoglobulin extracted from the blood plasma I donated and the SGC doesn't have the ability to replicate more of it. I have a serum but it's only one dose. And since no one else on the planet has previously been exposed I can't get more blood to extract the immunoglobulin from." She paused and then suddenly realized, "But the Jaffa would have a population that has survived it." She looked at Dr. Lamb who seemed very pale, "You feeling alright?"

Dr. Lamb assured, "I'm okay."

"You don't look okay," she argued.

"I'll be fine," she rebutted and then started towards her office when she suddenly collapsed.

Janet rushed to her aid, "Carolyn?" she asked shaking her awake. She soon discovered the CMO had a very high fever and blood was seeping from her ears. She called for a medical team by pulling the emergency response cord located in the nearby wall.

**Jack's Office**

Janet came to Jack's office with her request. She found him sitting behind his desk and vomiting in the nearby trashcan. It wasn't a good sign for Jack and Dr. Lamb were both sick with the fever.

"Sir," she came to his aid and knelt by him.

He looked up from the trashcan. He was very pale and felt very hot. "I think I got it too," he gasped.

"You and Dr. Lamb both," she replied. "I need to get you to the infirmary."

He warned, "If the whole SGC goes then you need to contain this."

"I have an idea," she assured him. "I need to dial the Alpha site and have them collect blood from all the Jaffa villages that have been exposed to this virus. Then they need to separate the plasma from the blood and start the process to separate the antibodies."

"Have Walter dial," he groaned.

"Walter is sick too," she retorted. "I will have to do it myself and then I'm taking you to the infirmary."

Jack gave a nod and then suddenly found himself vomiting in the trashcan once more. This time he vomited blood. He groaned, "I'm not sure I can walk."

"I'll get a wheelchair," she replied. She then went to the control room to dial the Alpha site.

**PX 524**

Sam didn't sleep very well as she wondered just what she was going to do about Charlie. She wished she had never kissed him but at the same time she had to admit, she wanted the kiss. She hadn't been kissed like that in a very long time and Charlie's affection was most appealing to her. She loved Jack but the relationship was moving ever so slow. She sucked in a breath and pushed herself up from her bed. She looked over to the middle of the camp and found Daniel, Teal'c and Charlie all eating breakfast. She made her way over to the group and looked about their cheery faces.

Daniel grinned, "Morning."

"Morning," she muttered. She noticed they were eating the MRE's and seemed to enjoy the terrible food.

Charlie handed her a pouch and a fork, "Morning dear."

She took the food and sniffed, it smelled like eggs. She took a forkful and started to eat. She noticed, "The eggs aren't bad for MRE."

Daniel smirked, "Charlie doctored them up a bit."

She wondered, "What did you do to them?"

"I added some fresh eggs I got from a nest," he informed with a straight face.

She stopped eating and asked, "You what?"

"There's a bird's nest in the tree," he replied. "Teal'c found it yesterday."

Sam stuttered, "You put bird eggs in our MRE's?"

"We cooked them first," assured Daniel. He grinned, "Nothing like fresh eggs." He dug in some more, "Even if they are robin eggs…The little bones from the little bodies cooked up pretty good, Charlie."

Sam spat the eggs out and looked in horror, "You cooked up half developed bird eggs?"

The three started chuckle to themselves.

Daniel assured her, "We're kidding! We didn't cook up baby bird eggs." He laughed and looked at Charlie, "You're right! That did gross her out."

She huffed, "Than what did you do to the eggs?"

"Nothing but salt and pepper," Daniel informed. He smiled, "Now that, Charlie is the power of suggestion."

Charlie handed her a cup of coffee, "Here, I made it the way you like it."

She grabbed the offering and then glared at Daniel for playing a joke on her. She took a sip and it was indeed made just the way she liked her coffee. "This is good, Charlie. Thank you."

"Welcome," he replied. He then looked at Teal'c and Daniel and took a breath before speaking, "Sam, we three were talking about how we are going to get past Qetesh and her army and we brainstormed a bit and got a few ideas together."

She gave a nod, "Great, let's hear them."

He took a wooden stick and drew out a battle plan on the ground before them, "We're here." He marked the spot. "We split up into two groups. You and Daniel go around to the right flank. There, Qetesh is setting up heavy equipment. As of this morning her ship arrived and she parked it over here. We need to blow that up."

Sam asked, "She brought her ship too?"

Teal'c confirmed, "I watched it land at dawn."

Daniel insisted, "This isn't a simple case of running for it anymore. We have to take the mothership out if we can."

Sam agreed, "We do have to take out the ship but Teal'c doesn't have enough explosives on him to do that."

Daniel responded, "Charlie has an idea on how we can take out the mothership. The self-destruct! We can sneak in the mothership and activate it. But Qetesh will need to be busy with a distraction. Teal'c and Charlie will take the Gliders and distract them."

"That's risky," she insisted.

"We know it is," Daniel assured her.

She looked at Teal'c and then Charlie. She stated to him, "Today we see if you make the cut."

He let out a deep breath, "Today is the day."

**SGC**

The fatalities were mounting from the infection that had swept across the SGC like a fast moving wind. The morgue was filling up with dead and Dr. Lamb had slipped into a coma. Janet was the only healthy person left in the SGC for the epidemic had peaked. For now on it would be a waiting game to see who would survive and who would die. Janet went to see Jack in his bed. He was still conscious but feeling very ill. She pulled up a seat to his bed and gently shook him awake.

"General?" she asked.

His eyes fluttered open and he looked around. He felt cold to the bone as his fever spiked at 104. He was pale and sweaty. He could barely speak, "Fraiser."

"I have one dose of serum, sir. I can only choose one person to give it too. There are two people here who could receive it: You or Dr. Lamb."

"Give it to Lamb," he insisted.

"She's critical and isn't likely going to survive," countered Janet. "You're not as bad yet and it would benefit you more than her."

"Give it to Lamb," he insisted again.

"Okay," she softly spoke. "Get some rest." She tucked in the blankets around him and ensured his IV fluids were still full. She noticed he was back asleep so she quietly went to get the serum to give to Dr. Lamb.

**PX 524**

Sam and Daniel had snuck past a number of sentries and were hid in the heavy equipment. If they were going to have any chance at getting into the mothership they needed a distraction and all they could do was wait for Teal'c and Charlie to provide that distraction.

Charlie and Teal'c had snuck to the area where the Gilder's were station in an open field. The whole area was crawling with Jaffa who tended to their craft. Charlie looked about determined, "We're not gonna get two Gliders."

"Indeed," Teal'c agreed.

Charlie instructed, "Give me the C4. I'll set off an explosion and when that happens it should give you enough time to get airborne."

Teal'c handed him the bag that contained the explosives and looked him in the eye and gave a nod for the plan had just changed. Charlie took the bag and then made his way further back away from the Glider that Teal'c was set to take. Charlie found a craft towards the rear of the field and placed the C4 on the undercarriage of the Glider near a known soft spot in the defense system. He set a timer and then quickly made his way to cover. The explosion was spectacular and destroyed the Glider, causing secondary explosions that took out more craft to each side. Teal'c observed from his post and had to admit even he was impressed by the accomplishment. It was soon obvious to Teal'c why Charlie was the leader of the resistance group in his world. Charlie had Jack's knack to think on his feet and change the battle plan accordingly. He was an avid strategist with battle hardened experience. All of which were qualities that Teal'c held to a great honor.

As the explosion ripped through the Gliders, Sam and Daniel watched from their post. Sam gasped, "That's not part of the plan."

Daniel added, "Looks like they blew up three Gliders."

She grimaced and miffed, "Charlie!"

Daniel mentioned, "He kind of takes after Jack, huh?"

"I noticed," she smirked. "Come on." She led Daniel into the ship as the guards were distracted with the explosions.

Meanwhile, Teal'c had commandeered a Glider and went airborne turning the ship's guns onto the other craft on the ground and the heavy mining equipment that Qetesh brought through the Gate. Of course his glory was short lived as weapon systems from the mothership came online and damaged the Glider causing Teal'c to crash. Charlie had run to the wreck to aid Teal'c and prevent his capture. As he got to the crash site he spotted Jaffa hovering over Teal'c with weapons leveled at the former First Prime.

Charlie opened fire from under the cover of the Glider's wing at the Jaffa standing on top. He hit one and the others jumped down to apprehend him. He came face-to-face with a large Jaffa who grabbed his P-90 rifle and attempted to disarm him. Charlie reached down and retrieved his pistol. He lifted the weapon while cocking the hammer and placed the barrel of the gun under the Jaffa's chin and pulled the trigger. The Jaffa dropped as the back of his head was blown away. Another Jaffa leveled his weapon on Charlie. But Charlie was quicker and used Hammond's revolver to shoot the Jaffa in the forehead.

Teal'c had emerged from the wreck and climbed down the wing to find Charlie holstering the revolver. He looked at the dead Jaffa and noticed the precise placements of the entry wounds. He simply gave a nod of approval. Teal'c then heard Sam's voice over the radio.

"Teal'c, we need back up in the ship," she stated.

Teal'c looked at Charlie who quickly assessed his gear and replaced the two rounds spent from the handgun.

"Let's go," Charlie took the lead.

Unlike Sam, who tried to keep Charlie inline and not let him go above his designated duties, Teal'c let Charlie lead for the Jaffa knew the best way to determine if Charlie was a good leader was to let him simply do so. Teal'c observed the young man for he knew Jack's final decision on if Charlie would be assigned to SG-1 would lie on not only Sam's report but his as well.

Inside the mothership Sam and Daniel were soon cornered and then captured by the guards. They were quickly disarmed and brought to see Qetesh in her throne room. Sitting on the throne was a small framed woman, wearing a skimpy tan outfit that revealed much skin. Her long black hair softly flowed around the shoulders. She was highly decorated with gold and jewels.

Daniel and Sam were forced to kneel before her. She looked upon the humans rather disappointed and spoke with an echoing voice, "Who are you?"

Daniel replied, "No one….Just passing through."

Her eyes narrowed on him, "You are Tau'ri."

He nodded, "Yup."

One of the patches from his uniform had been removed by a guard and it was handed to Qetesh. She looked at the odd writing, "What does this say?"

"It says SG-1," smirked Daniel.

She lifted an eyebrow, "You are SG-1? You are JackO'Neill?"

"Nope," he shook his head.

"I'm done with your game," she huffed. "Bring him to me."

Daniel knew what was coming and could do nothing to stop it. He was dragged before her and forced to kneel as she used a hand device to try and pull information from his mind.

As Sam was forced to watch, knowing she would be subject to the torture next, Charlie and Teal'c had managed to make their way to the throne room undetected. They stood in the access door nearest the throne. Charlie looked on as he retrieved the slingshot he used to spear fish earlier. He assembled it and placed an arrow in the sling and then looked at Teal'c.

"We do this quietly," he insisted.

Teal'c gave a nod and let Charlie go before him. Charlie snuck up behind the guard holding Denial down and placed an arrow right in the back of the neck, severing the spinal cord. The sentry went down hard with a thud before Qetesh who looked on rather shocked.

Teal'c raised his weapon to open fire the guard to Daniel's other side when he found another Jaffa had come up from behind and tried to physically take him down. Teal'c found himself in hand-to-hand combat with the other Jaffa.

Qetesh ordered, "Restrain them."

Charlie essentially used Qetesh as a shield for the Jaffa couldn't open fire on him while he was right behind her. He then placed another arrow in the forehead of an oncoming guard. Sam used the state of confusion to break free. She went to Daniel's aid for he was still stunned from the device Qetesh had used on him. As Sam aided Daniel, Teal'c lost his rifle in the scuffle with the guard.

Meanwhile, Charlie took a hit from Qetesh has she turned the device on him, knocking him to the ground. His revolver went flying across the floor into the awaiting hand of Teal'c who then used the large caliber pistol to kill his assailant with a single shot to the head. As the sentry fell upon being shot by Teal'c, the former First Prime found he liked the large revolver and then promptly used the gun to take out a number of assailing Jaffa. Teal'c then found Qetesh in his sights as she stood up and pointed the hand device at Charlie who was still on his back. Teal'c couldn't get a clear shot of any vital organs and thus shot at the hand unit. The bullet ripped through the unit attached to the palm of the hand but only glazed the hand itself. Qetesh glared at him as she guarded her wounded hand. She then promptly left the throne room looking for more reinforcements.

After ensuring Daniel was okay Sam went to Charlie's aid for he lay on the floor winded and struggling to breath. She quickly checked him over, "Charlie!" She looked for any signs of serious injury. "You okay?" She leaned closer for he was having trouble breathing. "Charlie?" she asked concerned.

"Just winded," he finally caught a breath. He had been hit by Goa'uld hand units before and could never seem to get the upper hand when it came to the device.

"We have to get out of here," she told him as she helped him to his feet.

Charlie looked at Daniel who looked in about as bad of shape as he, "You okay?"

He nodded breathing hard, "Never get used to it, huh?"

He agreed, "Nope." He then retrieved the arrows from the dead Jaffa and looked at Teal'c holding his pistol. He handed him two speed loaders for the weapon, "Here, you will need these. You're out of ammo."

Teal'c swung the revolver open and ejected the spend cartridges and then dropped in the speed loader and released the new cartridges. He then flipped the gun and it closed with ease.

Sam mentioned, "I see Teal'c found a new favorite gun."

He simply agreed, "Indeed."

They soon made their way out the throne room towards the engine room to set the self-destruct on the ship. Daniel noticed Charlie was still sporting the modified slingshot.

"I imagine in your reality you guys ran out of ammunition pretty fast," gathered Daniel.

"It's hard to find," he admitted.

"So, you learned to use the primitive weapons," Daniel suggested.

"Better than throwing rocks," he insisted.

Daniel grinned, "You don't normally see a sling-bow in battle. That's a hunting a weapon used by primitive tribes."

"They work great for squirrel," added Charlie.

"And fish," chirped Daniel.

The arrived at the engine control room and Sam went right to work and opened an access panel.

Charlie wondered, "Don't you need your computer?"

She shook her head, "I can overload the wiring and reverse a few control crystals to get the system to overload. That way Qetesh can't turn it off. Just cover me for a few minutes."

As Sam worked Qetesh led a small group of Jaffa warriors to the engine control room. Daniel and Teal'c stood in the door with weapons raised. As they came in sight they opened fire forcing Qetesh and the Jaffa back around a corner and a firefight ensured.

Through the corner of his eye Charlie spotted the ventilation shaft in the wall. It was just wide enough for a man to slip through. He asked Sam, "How much longer?"

"I need a few minutes to ensure they can't reverse it," she informed still working.

He then replied, "I'll be right back." He went to the shaft and removed the grate. He climbed into the shaft and left the room.

Sam looked up, "What do you mean you will be right back?" She looked about and spotted his boots as he went into the shaft. She shook her head, "That damn kid is gonna get himself killed." She then went back to her work while Teal'c and Daniel defended their position.

Charlie emerged from the ventilation shaft behind Qetesh and her Jaffa. He used the sling-bow once more but also employed a technique of holding the arrows in the same hand that cocked the weapon and thus created a rapid fire of arrows into the backs of the Jaffa.

Qetesh turned only to find an arrow leveled at her face. She grew angry with him, "You will pay for this."

He smirked, "I already did." He was about to let the arrow fly for if there was one thing a resistance's fighter never did it was take prisoners.

Daniel and Teal'c rounded the corner for the weapons' fire had stopped and discovered Charlie holding an arrow to Qetesh. He essentially just captured her. Daniel smiled bright, "Good job, Charlie. You captured Qetesh."

He kept the arrow cocked and ready to fire as he admitted, "I'm about to kill her."

Daniel stopped him, "If you kill her then you kill her host, who has nothing to do with this. We can send her to the Tok'ra and they can free the host and Qetesh will pay."

He argued, "We can't afford to take prisoners. We have to kill her."

Daniel stopped him, "Charlie, it's over. We caught her and we won. Her ship is about to be destroyed. We got her. You don't have to kill her."

Slowly he lowered the weapon and warned, "You make one sudden move and I will kill you."

Qetesh sneered, "You will pay for this."

He cocked his head to the side, "You know, that's the second time you said that to me."

Daniel injected, "Well, they don't really have much to say after they lose." He then retrieved tie wraps from his pocket and tied Qetesh's hands behind her back. He smirked at her in victory, "I can't wait to see the look on your host's face when you are forcibly removed from her body and she is free of you."

Qetesh said nothing as more Jaffa soon discovered their queen was now a prisoner to SG-1. With her weaknesses exposed the Jaffa just surrendered one by one and laid down their arms.

Sam rounded the corner fully expecting some form of tragedy for the firing had stopped. She found Daniel holding Qetesh prisoner and the Jaffa surrendering. Charlie had gathered his arrows from the dead Jaffa lying at his feet.

"What happened?" she wondered.

Daniel smiled, "Charlie caught Qetesh single-handed."

Her mouth dropped, "He what?"

"He caught her," Daniel grinned. "We have a Goa'uld to deliver to the Tok'ra now."

"Um," she looked wide-eyed at Charlie. "How did you do that?"

He held up an arrow, "With this."

She noticed the ventilation shaft, the arrows and figured out Charlie had pulled off a feat for sure. She gave a nod and a smile to him, "Good work, Charlie. But we need evacuate now. In fifteen minutes this ship is gonna blow."

"Let's get out of here," stated Daniel as he led Qetesh pass the surrendering Jaffa.


	6. Chapter 6

Chapter 6

**SGC**

Janet's plan of using Jaffa donated blood to extract the serum needed to fight the virus worked astonishingly well. The Free Jaffa poured into the Alpha site by droves when they heard the call for blood donations to help save their friends. Many of the freed Jaffa saw it as an opportunity to repay an old debt while others felt it was simply the right thing to do. Either way, it was the graciousness of the Jaffa that saved the SGC.

Dr. Lam survived the fever but had a long recovery ahead of her due to internal bleeding and long lasting effects of the infection. She was transferred to DC to continue her treatment. Jack responded well to the serum and was back on his feet through still recovering. He wasn't about to stay in bed when there was so much to do and SG-1 had not returned yet. Word filtered through the Alpha site that SG-1 had gone to see the Tok'ra but no details were given and he had no idea or if it was even true.

Jack wandered to his office wearing white scrubs and a blue robe with slippers. He stopped at the door and found Janet Fraiser sitting behind his desk in a blue DBU's. She was busy filling out forms and essentially running the SGC.

"How's it going?" he asked her.

She looked up and asked, "What are you doing out of bed?"

He walked into the office and took a seat across from her and huffed, "I don't need to be in a bed all day."

"You should be resting," she countered.

"I'm fine," he rebutted.

"You are stubborn," she noted.

He smiled, "Still think I'm sweet and charming?"

She countered, "I think you can be when you want to be."

He smirked, "True! Any word from SG-1?"

"Last I heard they went to see the Tok'ra," she informed. "I have no idea why though."

"I'm sure they will be back soon," stated Jack concerned.

"I had the base exterminated of any pest just in case something came back from off world," she added. "Once they get back they shouldn't be in any danger."

"Good," agreed Jack. "So, I heard we have an opening for a new CMO."

"Yes, Dr. Lam has a long recovery ahead of her." she agreed.

Jack wondered, "Would you be interested in the job?"

"I don't know," she replied. "You see Charlie is the only family I have left now. I don't want to take this job if he's not going to stay."

"Charlie stays no matter what," assured Jack. "He will probably have to go to the Academy after Carter does her assessment. I figure he will be there for four years learning all this stuff. Then he will be right back here."

"Charlie doesn't care if he gets on SG-1 or not," she informed. "He doesn't care about being on some team and going off world. He cares about Sam and that's the only reason he even agreed to do any of this. If she wasn't here, he would have gone his own way long ago. Charlie could have led the resistance if they had not been so stupid and decided to nuke the planet. He could have turned the war around. He had to ability to do that but no one would give him the chance because he was a kid. He knew how to defeat the Goa'uld and win those battles but they never listened to him. I know there is no such thing as a 'natural born leader' but if there is such a thing, it's your son, sir." She shook her head in frustration and then sighed, "Do you remember that movie called the _Terminator_? The one with the kid who is the future rebel leader and is fighting the machines?"

Jack nodded with a laugh, "Arnold!"

"Well, if that were based on a true story your son would be the kid," she explained.

Jack cocked an eye joking, "Who would be Arnold? The Terminator! He was really cool."

She rolled her eyes, "In the first or second movie?"

He pondered, "Um…Second movie!"

"Sam," she smiled, "Our Sam…The one who died sending us here."

"Oh," he thought about the notion. "But the kid and Terminator weren't together in the movies…"

She laughed, "Terminator the Love Story! I can see that Hollywood block buster."

"That's just sick," he replied with a chill running down his spine.

She scolded, "You're the one who brought that up!"

"But Arnold was cool in that," he insisted.

She rolled her eyes, "My point was your son was the resistance's only hope and they threw it away because they thought he was just a kid. Sam and I knew better. Charlie is not some kid. He's a natural born leader."

"He gets it from me," he cheered.

She agreed, "Now that I believe."

Jack asked, "So, since Charlie is staying no matter if he gets SG-1 or goes to school, will you be willing to stay?"

"I can't leave as long as Charlie has this unhealthy infatuation with your Sam. He needs to let her go…His Sam died. I can't walk away from him anyways. So, as long as Charlie is here then I will take whatever job you ask me too. But if he leaves then I will go with him."

"I would be going with him too," assured Jack. "I just got my son back…I'm not losing him again."

"I guess we have a common interest then," she assumed.

"We do," he assured her. "And you got a new job."

"Okay," she agreed.

The klaxons sounded with an automatic warning of an incoming wormhole. Janet and Jack both went to the control room. It was empty for Walter was also still recovering. Janet took a seat at the controls.

"It's SG-1," she reported and lowered the iris.

Jack miffed, "You lowered the iris before I said so."

She huffed back, "You're not in charge right now!"

He pouted, "You could have at least let me say it."

She rolled her eyes, "I liked it better when you were being extra nice to me."

He quipped, "I liked it better when you didn't know me."

SG-1 emerged through the event horizon. They looked about and found no one was there to greet them.

Sam wondered, "Where is everybody?"

Daniel spotted Janet and Jack walking towards them, "There's Janet and Jack. Why is Jack wearing a bathrobe?"

"That looks like an infirmary robe," noted Sam.

Charlie wondered, "Was he sick?"

They reached SG-1 and Jack smiled brightly, "How did it go?"

Sam reported, "We captured Qetesh and brought her to the Tok'ra. Is everything okay?"

Janet assured, "Everything is under control. We have a hemorrhagic virus that was carried by fleas brought into the SGC by SG-5. There were a few fatalities but we managed to immunoglobulin serum using blood donated by the Free Jaffa. The fever had also been on Earth my reality so both me and Charlie have already been exposed."

Charlie soured, "The one that killed George?"

She nodded, "Yes…But General Hammond left before SG-5 arrived and he is fine and was never exposed. Dr. Lam however wasn't so lucky and she will take months to recover. I've been acting CMO since she fell ill."

Daniel wondered, "Is it safe for us to be here now?"

She assured, "I had the SGC cleaned of all pest. We're through the woods."

"Frasier is our new CMO," chirped Jack.

Sam grinned, "You're taking your alternate's old job?"

She informed, "Providing Charlie agrees to stay in Colorado Springs with me. You and I are all that's left of our world, Charlie."

Charlie looked at Sam and stated, "I'm not going anywhere."

Sam was most uncomfortable but couldn't show it. She ignored the remark and continued, "We will have a debriefing when you are feeling well enough, sir."

Jack stated, "Give me a minute to change." He was eager to hear how his son did off world.

Daniel assured, "Jack, you're sick and you need to get some rest. The briefing can wait."

"I want to know how my son did," he argued.

Daniel soothed, "He did fine."

"Did he make SG-1?" asked Jack.

Sam replied concerned, "I think we should talk about that after you recover, sir." Jack did seem rather pale to her and she wanted him not to worry about Charlie and get some rest.

Charlie spoke up, "Dad! You look like shit. Now go back to bed."

Jack pouted, "I look like crap?"

"Yes," his son informed. "You look terrible and you are wandering around in a bathrobe and pajamas. Now go back to bed."

Jack looked at Teal'c, "T…Do I look that sick?"

"Indeed," he agreed. Teal'c was aware of the fever and knew how deadly it could be. He too wanted Jack to rest and get better.

He pouted, "I'll go back to bed."

Charlie started to hand off his equipment, "Dad…I'll walk you. I don't want you going by yourself with that bug."

Sam assured, "I can walk him, Charlie."

He huffed, "No you can't! You were never exposed. You can't have close contact with someone who is infected. You risk getting it."

"He's right," stated Janet. "No close contact with anyone who is recovering."

"I see," Sam agreed reluctantly.

Charlie rushed to his father to help steady him as they walked back to the infirmary.

After they were out of earshot Janet wondered, "How did he do off world?"

Sam replied, "He did really good. He's got some natural leadership skills. Matter of fact, he's bit too good at it at times."

Janet smirked, "He always was."

She asked, "How come he never rose further in the resistance? He has the skills and the ability to make a great leader. I was floored by what he did out there."

"He was a kid and no one would listen to him," she informed. "George Hammond knew he was a child prodigy and that's why he contacted me and Sam. He was hoping that when Charlie grew up he could turn the war around and lead the resistance. We trained him because we figured he was Earth's only hope. He was supposed to save it somehow. But no one in the resistance would listen to us and they went for the Sampson Option instead. George's plan was to train Charlie to take over and lead an uprising against the Goa'uld. That is what he has been trained to do."

Daniel gasped, "Are you serious?"

She confessed, "He was being groomed for it. He was our General Hammond's version of the Sampson Option. A man who could lead a civil revolt and uprising against the System Lords."

"I think if given enough time and support he could have done that," Sam gulped.

"Well," she sighed. "Now you understand why I can't leave him behind. He's too valuable. Will he be staying on your team?"

Sam looked at Daniel and Teal'c and they all nodded in agreement, "Yes he will be," she agreed. Despite Charlie's unhealthy infatuation with her, he was valuable militarily and she also feared what could become of him without proper guidance.

"His father wants him to go to the Academy," Janet informed. "Do you understand what that will be like for him?"

"I understand," Sam assured her and then smiled, "And Casey is in the Academy too."

Daniel grinned, "That's perfect! She can really help adjust to his new life here."

"Exactly what I was thinking," she agreed.

"But how can he go to the Academy and still be on SG-1?" wondered Janet.

Daniel suggested, "Tell Jack we want him on SG-1 and to go to the Academy. He will figure out a way."

**A Week Later**

Jack drove his son to the Air Force Academy in his large black truck. It was the oddest sight to see in reality; a General driving his adult son from another reality to school in an oversize, gas guzzling truck. Upon parking the large utility vehicle Jack and Charlie both emerged wearing blue uniforms. Jack sported his dress uniform with ribbon bars and visor officer's hat. He looked good in the uniform and was highly decorated. Charlie wore a cadet uniform and looked rather dismayed for even though he only had to attend the school part-time and complete a few classes he still hated the idea. Jack walked his son up to the front door of the Academy in full display for everyone to see so that everyone would know that Charles "Charlie" O'Neill was the General's boy.

"I could have driven myself," he complained walking into the front door with his father.

Jack smiled, "I always wanted to personally escort you on your first day."

"This is embarrassing," he miffed.

They walked into the foyer of the school and then into the front office. The secretary behind the desk was also dressed in a blue uniform. She had long black hair that was neatly placed in a bun. She looked very much like an officer in the Air Force but she was school staff.

"General O'Neill," she came to attention pleased to see him.

"Lieutenant," he smiled brightly. "This is my son, Charlie. It's his first day." Jack felt giddy for the day remained him of the day he first enrolled Charlie in kindergarten. For Charlie it was far from a giddy day as he remained rather disheartened.

She smiled brightly at him, "Welcome to the Academy, cadet."

He simply replied, "Thanks."

Jack looked at him and instructed, "That's 'thank you, Lieutenant' and you salute her."

"You're kidding?" he asked.

"No I'm not!" he chirped.

Charlie threw a halfhearted salute, "Thank you, Lieutenant."

Jack continued, "He needs his paperwork."

"Right away," she went to retrieve the file.

Jack turned to his son and warned, "I pulled every favor I have owed to me to get you in here so don't screw this up."

"I don't see why I just can take these courses privately in the SGC?" he argued. "I mean really, Dad. Look at this ridiculous uniform."

"You look good in a suit," he replied. He purposely avoided answering the question for Charlie could indeed have simply taken the needed courses but then he would still be swooning over Sam and Jack wanted him around others his own age and that was Jack's true motive for enrolling him in the Academy.

"I feel idiotic," he snorted.

"We all did at that age," assured Jack.

He countered, "No, I feel idiotic because you are dragging me to a school that I do not need, to do a job that I already have."

"You made SG-1 and I am proud of you but still need a few classes," he countered.

The secretary returned with the file and then handed the needed papers to Jack, "They are all here, General."

Pleased Jack smiled, "Thank you, Lieutenant." He then started to go over the paperwork to ensure everything was in order. "Let's see, you're a senior…"

Charlie held up a hand, "How did I get to be a senior, Dad? This is like a college, right? Sam said I would get a bachelor's degree once I graduated and directly into commissioned officer."

"Over here," Jack pulled him aside and out of earshot of the secretary. "You already know most of what they would teach you here," stated Jack. "I spoke to the Dean and a few other higher ups and we want you to get what you need to get your commission. After that mission to PX 524 the Brass is chomping at the bit to get you in the military. Add to that your past living under alien occupation and what you have been trained to do by your Carter and Hammond; you are kind of in demand right now. You got assigned to SG-1 and once you complete what we need you to do here, you get full commissioned with a rank of captain, Charlie. This is unheard of and no one else has even been offered this chance. Just a few weeks rounding things out and you're in. All other cadets here have to go for the four years and work summers and not all are guaranteed a job when they graduate. You don't even really have to come here, okay. I just wanted to you to have the experience of it. You were cheated out of so much and I know you are gonna find some of this boring and repetitive but please, do it for me. Fraiser told me what you did in the resistance and dammit, Charlie you were essentially a captain or higher. I know your level is way above this place and these are kids preparing to go into the military. They are working really hard to get in and lucky for them, they didn't have the…Benefit…Of an alien invasion to kind of spur things along for them. We're trying to make this as easy for you as possible. You're gonna be a senior and you will graduate prior to the other cadets. Your rank as a cadet is Lieutenant Colonel and since you are new here, boy is that gonna raise some eyebrows. And that's a good thing because we can't tell anyone the truth but you need a cover as to why things are going to be so easy for you here. So, yeah…You're gonna look like a spoiled officer's kid. That's your cover. Sorry, I can't do anything about that."

"So," Charlie summarized. "You used every favor owned to you to get me into a this Academy because you don't want me to miss out on…Something…And you have decided to make me appear to be getting special treatment because I can't tell anyone where I'm from."

Jack nodded, "Yeah, that's about it."

"This is insane," huffed Charlie. "I don't belong here and shoving me in here as a senior just so I can get a degree and a commission is idiotic. A degree is a piece of paper, Dad. A commission is just a job. In your reality I'm dead and buried."

"Charlie," Jack rebutted, "you have been given a second chance. You should be dead in your reality too. I want you to experience this, to be a student and not a rebel fighter. I want you to play sports, to have fun and have friends."

Charlie had no idea what having fun meant anymore. He had not had fun in such a long time the idea seemed strange to him. "But, I don't need to go out and have fun. I can have fun with you, Dad. I remember when you took me to ball games. We can do that."

"I want you to have fun with people your own age," he insisted. "My other option is to enroll you in community college but that would be a full two years and I couldn't' have you on SG-1 at the same time."

Charlie asked, "How about you just put me on SG-1 full time and we forget all about this having fun in school thing?"

Jack winced, "Then you won't get a commission."

"Make me a contract worker like, Daniel." he suggested.

"Daniel has degrees coming out of his ears," rebutted Jack. "You don't! Do this and you get a degree and a commission. It's a simple deal."

With a heavy sigh Charlie agreed, "Okay. What do I have to do?"

Jack smiled, "Be a cadet and have fun doing it."

**Later That Day**

Charlie had finished his orientation and was assigned to a cadet squadron. Though Charlie had spent half his life under Goa'uld occupation and fighting the System Lords he did maintain some memories of what life was like before the invasion. When he was assigned to a squadron labeled "Jedi" he nearly chocked. But nothing could prepare Charlie for what he was about to discover.

He walked into the men's locker room near the gymnasium. He had been signed up for track and field for his athletics' requirement by his father. Charlie was late due to his orientation and his unique situation of being a part-time student. He really wasn't sure how his father pulled the situation off or how he was going to explain to the other students how come he was only in the Academy part-time and was given a high rank. He found his locker and was instructed to change his clothes. He was alone in the locker room or so he thought, as he started to unpack his duffle bag of gym clothing his father had purchased for him. He heard a knock coming from a heavy wooden door located near back of the room. He investigated the sound.

"Hello?" he asked for he thought he heard a muffled voice.

He heard a voice from the other side of a heavy wooden door, "Hello."

Charlie stood before the door, "Hello?"

"Yeah," the voice replied, "Can you let me out?"

Charlie wiggled the door handle and found it was locked. He moved the lock position on the knob and opened the door. There before him stood a young man wearing blue shorts, white sneakers and a blue A-style top with the Academy's logo across the chest. The boy looked about sixteen years old but legally had to be older to enroll. He had short light brown hair. He had small amount of fuzz above his upper lip. He smiled at his rescuer.

"Thanks man," he greeted him. "You won't believe the turd that locked me in there."

Charlie replied, "You're welcome." He wondered just who would lock the boy inside a storage closet and why.

The teen cocked his head to the side, "Do I know you? You look a little familiar? Are we in class together?"

"I just got here," he informed.

"Oh?" he seemed baffled. "Just got here? Strange! I'm Jon. Thanks for rescuing me."

"My name is Charlie," he informed. "You're welcome. Who locked you in there?"

"A jerk named Hanson," Jon informed walking out. He walked over to his locker located in the same row as Charlie's. He opened the locker and started to gather his belongings. "So, you're new?"

"I'm part-time," he replied as he looked at the combination on his paper.

Jon paused, "Part-time? Are you sure? Because that's not normal."

"I know," Charlie sighed. "My father's doing." He looked over to Jon and held out a hand, "Name's Charles O'Neill. You can call me 'Charlie' though."

Jon took a step back and gasped, "Who is your father?"

He rolled his eyes and admitted, "General O'Neill."

Jon clarified, "You mean Jonathon 'Jack' O'Neill?"

"That's the one," he smirked. "I take it you heard of him."

"I heard he had son named Charlie but he died," he sounded.

Charlie smirked figuring the teen would never believe him, "I'm actually from another reality."

He stated, "My name is Jonathon O'Neill."

Charlie asked, "You're last name is O'Neill too?"

He nodded, "Yeah it is! Are you aware of what is going on in that mountain?"

Charlie nodded, "Oh yeah." He wasn't sure what to make of Jon but noticed the teen seemed rather anxious upon meeting him.

"Then you know about the Gate?" Jon asked.

Charlie stopped what he was doing and looked over to the wide-eyed boy standing beside him. He asked, "How do you know about it?"

"I'm the old man's clone," he informed unenthused. "If you are General O'Neill's son prove it. What is your birthday?"

"November 5th 1985," he replied.

Jon gulped and continued, "When is your father's birthday?"

"October 20th 1952," he stated. Charlie then challenged him, "When were my parents married?"

"May 14th 1980," he replied. "Her name was Sarah."

"How can you be his clone?" asked Charlie.

He explained, "Loki did it! The old man doesn't even know that I'm here. I'm trying to do this on my own. You're Charlie? But he died."

"In my reality I never touched his gun," he informed. "My dad has a teenage clone? When the hell did that happen?"

"A few months ago," he answered. "It was right after we lost Fraiser."

Charlie smiled, "She came with me from my reality."

"You serious?" he asked.

Charlie nodded, "Yup."

"Did Carter come with you too?" he wondered.

"She died sending us here," he informed. "My father never came back from the Abydos mission. Six months later Ra showed up and then everything went to hell after that."

Jon gasped, "Holy! You really are Charlie."

"My father has a teenage clone?" he asked again. "You're my father as a teenager?"

He shook his head, "No, no, no…I have all his memories and his thought patterns. I'm a copy that Loki screwed up. He was supposed to make me exactly like him but messed that all up. I guess I didn't cook long enough. Thor fixed it so I wouldn't die but now I have a teenage body."

"That's why you look younger than me?" asked Charlie.

He added, "You look like I did when I was twenty. I mean when he was twenty."

"I'm nineteen," he stated.

"You're a refugee from another reality? Is that it?"

Charlie agreed, "Basically."

"Wow," Jon laughed. "I can't believe this. So, why are you a part-time student? That makes no sense. As far as I know there aren't any part-time students here."

"I think Sam and my father are conspiring against me to get me to start dating women my own age," he told him.

Jon asked, "Why would they be doing that?"

"Because in my reality Sam was my wife," he informed off hand. "You do look like my dad. Holy!"

Jon gasped, "Your wife? She's twice your age."

He shrugged, "So?"

He gaped, "Well, if had known Carter had a thing for younger guys I would have stuck around."

Charlie did a double take, "What?"

"I'm…And he…Is in love with her," Jon told him. "All this time I thought she had thing for older guys and since he was way older and I was way younger then I was simply screwed so I left."

"What the hell are you talking about?" asked Charlie.

Jon asked, "I wonder if they're together? I mean that would be against regulations but if they sent you here to get you interested in girls your own age…"

"Sam told me she is dating a cop named Pete," he rebutted. "She's not dating my father. He wants me to have a normal life and meet a girl my own age. She wants me to leave her alone for now."

Jon made a face, "She's dating a cop named Pete?"

"She said so," he shrugged. "She's not my Sam. I wish she was but she's not. She proved that on our last mission when she kept treating me like a kid and bossing me around. My Sam never would have done that."

Jon assured him, "Hey, I know for a fact there are countless realities with countless versions of Carter out there. They are not all exactly the same. The only thing worse than a room full of Carters is a room of Daniels."

"I like Daniel," he countered. "We get along really well."

"I like Daniel too," he assured him. "Hey, you are never going to guess who else is here."

"Who?"

"Casey," he cheered.

"Who?"

"Frasier's daughter," Jon informed. "We're freshman together."

"I never met her," he informed. "There was no SGC in my reality. Janet kind of took care of me after my mom died."

His face went long, "You and I need to compare notes, Charlie." He scribbled on a piece of paper, "Here's my dorm room. Stop by when you get time and we can debrief each other."

Charlie took the paper and noticed the boy had his father's hand writing, "I will."

Jon grinned, "Boy he's got to be giddy as a school girl getting you back in his life."

He shrugged, "I'm not sure about that."

"I am," he finished changing his clothes into his school uniform, "Because if I were him, I would give my arm and my leg for a chance to have my son back." He closed the locker door, "Look me up and do me a favor…Don't tell him I'm here. He will try to help me and well…You know how well that goes over."

"I know," Charlie agreed as he changed into his gym uniform. "I will certainly check in with you, Padre."

"'Padre'?" he laughed, "I like it." He kept his emotions in check for he knew Charlie was not even close to being the long dead son that he recalled. "See you around." He then left the locker room.

"My father has a clone?" Charlie asked himself, "I wonder what else he is not telling me."


	7. Chapter 7

Note: In this chapter I fixed the name "Casey" to "Cassie." Sorry about the error. I hope it didn't take away too much from the flow of the story.

Chapter 7

**SGC**

Sam worked happily in her lab relived that Charlie was finally in the Academy and for the moment out of her hair. Everything was going rather well for once. Janet was back alive and well and Charlie was in school with others his own age. She found that her life for once was going smoothly.

Jack came to her lab and stood in the doorway for a moment, "Carter."

She looked over at him and smiled, "Sir."

He walked in and went over to her work; he glanced over and seemed to fidget a moment, "I was talking to Charlie in the truck when I took him to the Academy this morning."

"How did that go?" she wondered.

"He's not too thrilled," he admitted.

"He'll like it once he gets used to it," she assured.

Jack mentioned, "Charlie said you were seeing someone."

"I lied," she admitted. "I was trying to redirect him. So, I told him I had a boyfriend. The only person I could think of was this man I went on a blind date with months ago who is a friend of my brother."

"Pete?" he asked.

"He's a local cop," she sighed. "I went out with him once and it was terrible. I didn't know what else to tell him." She looked at him with remorseful eyes, "When we were off world, I went to talk to him later at night when he was on watch. There was something about him. Maybe it was the night air or the way the moonlight was hitting his face. Sir, I kissed him." She felt guilty and ashamed as she made the admission.

"You kissed him?" he asked to clarify.

"It was just one kiss and that's when I panicked and I told him that I had a boyfriend," she confessed. "It won't happen again…I promise."

Jack was silent for a moment as he pondered the situation. He wasn't angry for he knew Charlie was having difficulty adjusting. He figured Sam would naturally develop some feelings for Charlie for her alternate had loved him.

"Are you falling love with him?" he finally asked.

"I adore Charlie," she replied. "And if the situation was like that of Charlie's reality, I can see why I would have gone in that direction.

"Why?" wondered Jack.

She smiled at him, "He's a lot like you."

He smiled in return with a lingering stare. He thought of his next move, "How about we plan a trip to the cabin soon?"

"I would like that," she grinned. She then added in after thought, "Daniel and Teal'c would like that too. And this Janet has never been. She would love it there!"

Jack's weekend for two quickly turned into the next trip for SG-1 and Janet. His smile melted, "I was kind of thinking it would just be us."

She sighed, "I would like that but what about Charlie? He doesn't have any friends to hang around with and you and I both know he would want to come too."

He had to admit, "I was thinking of taking Charlie up there sometime."

"Let's bring everyone then," she offered, "Charlie, Cassie…Everyone."

"I don't have enough beds for everyone," he reminded.

She scoffed, "We can double up."

He smirked, "Me and you in the same bed?"

"Not unless you and Charlie want to get in a knock down fight," she warned. "He's still in love with my alternate. You and Charlie can double up and I can sleep with Janet. Teal'c always takes the sofa anyways and we can stick Daniel on a cot and bring a sleeping bag for Cassie."

He soured, "When Charlie was little he would crawl in bed with me and his mother and that was okay. But, he's nineteen years old now. I'm sure he's not gonna want to share a bed with me."

"Okay, he can sleep on the folding cot and Daniel can sleep with you," she smirked back joking.

"I'll just bring a couple of extra cots," he stated figuring he would rather sleep alone.

**Academy**

Charlie had completed his task for the day and went to see his new friend freshman cadet, Jon O'Neill. He found the dorm room and knocked on the door. The door swung open and Jon stood before him wearing a pair of gray sweat pants and a matching tee-shirt.

"Charlie!" he grinned. "Come on in."

Charlie stepped inside and noticed Jon had a rather large room. The walls were painted white with dark blue carpet and matching drapes. It looked much like a hotel room with two beds. The second bed was neatly made with blue sheets and a blanket. There were two matching blue chairs, two desks but only one computer. He spotted a single foot locker near the far bed.

"You are here by yourself?" he asked.

"How did you guess?" he grinned.

"There is just one foot locker and one computer. Everything else looks like room furnishings." he replied.

Jon grinned closing the door, "You always were pretty sharp. The Dean knows who I am and I told him no roommate. I didn't want to have the hassle of it all." He took a seat in a chair, "When you go from being a General to having a sixteen year old body you kind of wanna hold on to what privileges you can."

Charlie asked, "I thought had to be eighteen to enroll."

"You do," he informed. "When I left the SGC they gave me a new birth certificate and made me eighteen. Otherwise I would have ended up in foster care and I wasn't going for that. So, what's your story, Charlie? You didn't die in your reality. How come you to came to mine?"

He took a seat in the opposing chair and explained, "In my reality my dad went to Abydos but never came back. Six months later Ra invaded. The government tried to fight back but it was fruitless. The governments all collapsed and Ra declared himself our god, which didn't go over very well and set up a dictatorship. The resistance formed and we beat him back but then Apophis took over and things got really bad. Mom died when I was fifteen. I was raised by George Hammond. I met Janet and Sam when I was fourteen. When I turned eighteen, the resistance came up with a plan to use an old Cold War tactic called the 'Sampson Option' and nuke the planet. That didn't work so well. Janet and me…We're the only survivors."

Jon gulped, "They deployed the Sampson Option! Jeepers, that's like having yourself castrated because you think your neighbors have too many kids."

"Pretty much," Charlie agreed. "What's your story?"

"Like I said, Loki screwed up. He stole the old man's ass and made me. I was supposed to replace him so Loki could do research on him. But I didn't cook long enough and when I woke up, I was a teenager and not an old man. Loki downloaded all of his memories, his thoughts and his emotions; all of it into my head. I woke thinking I was Jack O'Neill and I somehow was turned into a kid. You see, I was supposed to have lived for a few days as Jack O'Neill and simply expired when he returned. Due to Loki's screw up he was caught and Thor fixed it so I wouldn't die but he couldn't make me an adult. So, I was issued a new birth certificate and social security number. I was going to go a different path and not be him. I decided to go into Falconry. I ended up back in the Academy because it's the best Falconry school."

"Dad always liked birds," Charlie recalled.

"Birds of prey," he reminded.

"We used homing pigeons in the resistance to send messages," mentioned Charlie.

Jon wondered, "What are you taking here? What's your major?"

Charlie laughed, "Athletics apparently! I'm only here a few hours a day. He signed me up for silly things like track and field, bugle and drum corps. Stuff like that. I don't have one single academic class so I am wondering how I am supposed to get a degree."

"Sign up for Falconry! You have experience with homing pigeons." suggested Jon.

"I suppose I could do that," he agreed.

"And hey, if you need a place to crash you're welcome to crash here," offered Jon. "I also have a car if you need a ride. I'm the only freshman with a car! I take Cassie around when she needs a lift. Another favor I got the Dean to agree too."

"I might take you up on that," he agreed. "Dad said I could use his truck…That big honking black dually, but I would have to pay for the gas. Needless to say, I saw the gas prices and how much I will be getting paid and figured I would be broke in two days."

"That's why I…I mean he…Never took it up to the cabin," he miffed. "Too expensive! You've never been to the cabin have you?"

"What cabin?" asked Charlie.

"He got it after you died and your mother left him," he informed. "Nice little place with a pond."

"I haven't been," sighed Charlie.

A knock came at the door.

Jon called out, "It's open."

The door opened and Cassandra Fraiser stepped inside closing the door behind her. She wore dress blues with slacks and her long strawberry blonde hair was still neatly placed up in a bun. She smiled brightly upon seeing her friend.

"Jon," she greeted and then noticed he had a visitor, "Um…Hi."

"Casey," stated Jon. "This is Charlie O'Neill. He's the old man's son from another reality. His world was wiped out and he came to live here."

"I've heard of you," she grinned. "You came through with my mother's alternate."

Charlie smiled at her and confirmed, "I did! You're Cassie! Sam was telling about you. It's nice to finally meet you."

"Nice to meet you too," she took a seat on the empty bed.

Jon asked, "You heard about him and Frasier?"

She confirmed, "Sam told me and she is working on getting Janet to meet me but so far it seems she doesn't want too."

"Why not?" wondered Jon.

Charlie explained, "She's afraid she will feel guilty and have to be your mom. She never knew you in our reality."

"I'm eighteen," she replied. "I'm an adult now. She doesn't need to be my mom if she doesn't want to be. I just wanted to see her again."

Charlie smiled at her, "I will make that happen. Sam said your world was wiped out by the Goa'uld too?"

She sighed, "It was. Sam saved me when I was a child. Janet adopted me and was my mom until she died a few months ago. I was going to surprise her with my acceptance to the Academy when she died and I never got to tell her."

Jon assured, "Trust me! Fraiser would be proud of you, Cassie."

"Thanks Jon," she grinned.

Charlie found Cassie Frasier rather attractive. She was pretty, charming and knew all about the Gate and what the Goa'uld were like. He wondered, "What's your major?"

"Aeronautical engineering and a minor in humanities," she replied. "You?"

"Socializing with those my own age," he smirked.

"What?" she asked unsure.

Jon spoke up, "In his reality…Where the old man was dead…Carter was his wife."

Cassie asked, "Isn't she much older than you though?"

"Twice my age," he affirmed. "She died sending me and Janet here. She told me if I didn't go through to this new home then she would die for nothing. Otherwise, I would have stayed and died right with her."

Cassie sucked back a tear, "Sam was willing to die so that I wouldn't die alone when I was a little girl. Luckily, neither of us died. I cannot tell you how much Sam has influenced me growing up." She then wondered, "How does your father feel about you being married to Sam?"

"He's not liking it at all," he nodded.

"I bet," she grinned. She asked Jon, "Does he know how he feels about her?"

"I think he's got the picture," stated Jon.

"My father is in love with my wife," he huffed annoyed.

Cassie turned to him and looked him in the eye, "Charlie, this Sam is not your wife. She's like the twin sister of your wife. She's her alternate. She's not the same woman when you get down to it."

Charlie cocked his head to the side, "I never thought of it that way. A twin sister!"

"Yes," agreed Cassie. "It's the same with Janet and the same with you. Imagine you and the other Charlie who died were twin brothers. You and he would look exactly alike and have same genetics but each of you was different and lived a different life even though you have the same parents and lived in the same house. It's the same with realities. Your wife would essentially be Sam's twin sister. They have the same genetics and lived very similar lives but they are still two different people."

He pondered, "So if I just think of Sam as the twin sister of my Sam then that might be easier for me to processes all this. To be honest, I have been having a tough time wrapping my head around why she keeps trying to act like my mother."

"Too move you from thinking as her as your wife into thinking of her as your mom. But in reality she's the twin sister of your late wife. And that's how you should think of her."

"Now that I can understand," he smiled. "Thank you, Cassie. You're pretty insightful."

"You're welcome," she grinned at him. She looked at Jon, "Pizza?"

Jon winced, "Again! We had pizza just the other day."

"But didn't you tell me that when you get older that you won't be able to eat that much pizza and you wanted to be pig about it now?"

Charlie lifted an eyebrow, "What?"

Jon told him, "When you get to be an old man you will understand. Pizza is heartburn alley and low fat pizza really sucks." He sucked in a breath, "Might as well enjoy it while I can still eat a whole pizza by myself." He got up and threw on a blue windbreaker, "Let's go get pizza." He looked at Charlie, "Or do you still prefer hot dogs with mac and cheese?"

Charlie laughed, "I remember that! We used to that place with the ice cream."

"_Friendly's_" stated Jon. "It was great for kids."

"You used to eat my ice cream," he rebutted.

"It was good ice cream," he argued as they left the room.

**Cabin**

Jack invited his friends to the cabin for the weekend. Charlie had informed him that he would be bringing Cassie so she could speak to Janet. However, he failed to mention he was also be bringing Jack's clone, Jon O'Neill. Though Jack wanted to spend the weekend alone with Sam, he was glad Charlie was coming with Cassie for she too needed closure after losing her adopted mother and he hoped this Janet would at least be friends with the young woman.

He and Sam drove to the cabin the night before to get things ready for the guest. Jack also wanted to spend some time alone with her. The night had fallen and Sam was busy figuring out just where to set up the extra cots and who would be sharing a bed. She was planning out where to assign guest to sleep. She was dressed jeans, sneakers and a red sweat shirt.

She looked around the small cabin and puffed, "You need a bigger cabin." She was tired from the long drive.

Jack sported tan cargo pants and a red flannel shirt; he dropped the bags in the middle of the small room and gave a look, "My cabin is plenty big."

She cocked an eye, "Really? My garage is bigger."

"It's a two person cabin," he retorted. "I didn't buy a cabin to entertain everybody. I got for relaxation."

"I thought you got it to sit up here, all by yourself after Charlie died." she rebutted. "I guess you were planning on becoming a hermit later on!"

"Actually I was," he admitted. He then added with a straight face, "Then Daniel came along and ruined my plans."

"So it's all Daniel's fault you are not a hermit," she laughed.

He stepped over the bags and stood before her. His hands softly landed on her hips. She leaned closer to him and slipped her arms around his middle. She looked up and smiled at him with welcoming eyes.

"It's all Daniel's fault," he agreed and drew her close, kissing her gently on the lips. She kissed him back and found she was falling into his embrace even more.

She pulled away after the kiss and smirked, "Poor Daniel."

"Poor Daniel," he agreed and then kissed some more.

She pulled away, "We need to unpack and get things set up for tomorrow."

"Tomorrow can wait," he assured. He motioned, "Come on."

She asked, "What? Now?"

He nodded, "No better time than the present."

"But there is so much work to do," she countered.

"And the world will still be here tomorrow," he cheered. "Come on," he pulled her to follow him into the bedroom.

"On one condition," she warned. "You have to get up early and help me get everything ready for when everyone arrives."

"Plenty of time," he assured. He then paused in thought, "One question."

"What?" she wondered.

"When Charlie kissed you did he kiss like me or…" he tailed off wondering if perhaps he didn't want to know.

She candidly replied, "Actually he was pretty good but if you really want to give him kissing lessons then I'm sure that is something you two can work on."

"Very funny," he miffed.

"I can see why she loved him. He's a lot like you. But he's not you and she was not me," Sam assured him. She cupped his face with her hands and looked him in the eye, "I'm in love with you, Jack O'Neill. Not your son." She kissed him gently on the lips.

"I love you too," he reminded.

"We should make the most of it tonight," she agreed. "It's the only night we will get to spend together all weekend and into the next few weeks."

"You could sleep with me," he argued. "I brought extra folding cots."

"I know," she admitted. "I just get this feeling were not gonna get much privacy this weekend."

He had to agree, "We don't normally get much privacy, do we?"

"Nope," she shook her head.

"Then let's not waste it," he pulled her by the hand and led her into the bedroom.

**Next Morning**

Jack and Sam sat on the dock in folding camp chairs waiting for the guest to arrive. Two vehicles were seen coming up the drive: Jack's large dual-wheeled black truck driven by Charlie and Daniel's green Jeep Cherokee. They parked the vehicles near the black SUV that Jack and Sam drove the night before. Jack looked back at the arrivals. He sported sunglasses and a fishing hat. He noticed two figures in his black dually and assumed it was Charlie and Cassie. His eyebrow rose when Cassie and Janet both emerged from the back seat of the vehicle Daniel had driven.

Sam looked on, "Cassie is riding with Janet. Who is that in the truck with Charlie?"

The door swung open and Jack's eyes landed on his clone. His mouth dropped for Charlie drove his teenage clone to his cabin for the weekend. "What the hell?" snorted Jack.

Sam grinned, "It's Jon! Oh gosh, Charlie met him. He's in Academy too."

"Say what?" asked Jack.

"Cassie told me," she smiled. "They are freshman together." To Sam, Cassie and Jon being in the Academy together was adorable.

Jack gasped, "Mini-me is in the freshman class of the Academy with Cassie and Charlie!" For Jack, his clone being the Academy with his son was a nightmare.

She soothed, "Charlie's not a freshman." She looked on as Janet and Cassie seemed to be chatting away. The women walked arm in arm to the dock.

Janet looked about, "This is nice."

Sam grinned, "I see you two finally met."

Janet gave Cassie a hug, "We talked all the way here. We have a lot in common and I don't mean just my alternate. We like the same music, movies and have a lot of the same interest…It's like finding a long lost relative."

Sam cautioned, "Janet…You don't have to be her mom."

"I know," she assured her. "Cassie has a brilliant way of explaining the reality thing with my alternate. It's like having a twin who died. Cassie would be my…Niece. The orphan I verbally adopted was Charlie so he will always be like my son."

Sam smiled at Cassie, "That's an excellent way to describe it."

"Thanks Sam," she gave her a hug.

Jack huffed, "Why is my son bringing my clone to my cabin?"

Janet looked back at the boy, "He's so cute! You have some serious issues to deal with, General."

"You were cute when you were younger," Sam shot him a grin.

"'Were'?" he asked unenthused.

Charlie walked up with Jon in tow, "Dad…Nice little place."

"Thanks," he replied and then looked at Jon.

"Charlie invited me," he stated.

"So you came?" he huffed.

He grinned at him, "Heck yeah! I wouldn't miss the look on your face for all tea in China."

Charlie miffed, "You two are gonna have so much fun." He placed the bags down, "I'm gonna go help Daniel and Teal'c." He walked away wondering if perhaps he should have brought a tent for himself to sleep in.

"You are in the Academy with Charlie?" he huffed.

Jon grinned, "Yup! It's great. He's my best friend. I had a bully and he took care of it for me."

Sam gasped, "You had a bully, Jon? That's terrible."

"Charlie took care of him. The last time he tried to lock me in the locker room storage closet; Charlie rammed him against the wall and started chocking with one hand. He told him if he ever locked me in the closet again he would squeeze the shit of him. It was great!" Jon then explained, "I'm the littlest guy in the Academy so…I get picked on more."

Jack huffed, "Well, if you waited two years you wouldn't have the body of a sixteen year old."

He huffed back, "What the hell am I supposed to do for two years? Go live in a foster home? No thanks!"

Sam assured him, "I would have let you stay with me, Jon."

He gasped, "You would have let me live with you?"

"Of course," she nodded with a smile. Sam simply adored Jon.

He puckered in thought, "Now you tell me that."

Sam offered, "If you decide you want to wait two more years, you are always welcome to stay with me until you are ready."

"No he can't," huffed Jack. "He's got the hots for you."

She miffed to him, "And you don't?"

Daniel led Charlie and Teal'c up the path carrying folding chairs to the pond upon unloading the gear. He patted Charlie's shoulder, "Good work, Charlie. Thanks for helping."

"Welcome," he replied and then smiled at Cassie. "I brought your chair." Then with true gentleman fashion of the South, installed in him by George Hammond, he graciously set the chairs up for the ladies and assisted them.

Jon asked upon watching him, "Did Hammond teach you that too?"

"Of course," he replied setting up his own chair. He then took a seat by Cassie and Janet. The last week he had grown closer to Cassie and found she was a breath of fresh air for she had a unique perspective. He wished he had met Cassie in his reality for her perspective certainly could have helped the failed resistance. And at the same time, Jon was quickly becoming his closest friend for he was just like his father but much younger and a bit more rebellious. Over all, the trio made a unique group and they supported one another through their daily struggles.

Jack looked over at Sam and whispered, "Do you want me to tell him?"

"I will," she insisted and then spoke to Charlie, "Can we take a walk?"

Charlie agreed standing back up, "Of course."

Sam led Charlie away from the area as they walked toward the grassy field near the cabin. She started, "I have a confession. That night when you kissed me, I lied to you."

He casually walked beside her and asked, "What was it?"

She admitted, "I'm not dating a cop named Pete. I went on one blind date with him and that few months ago. It was terrible."

"Really?" he laughed.

"But I am in a relationship with someone," she continued.

He simply stated, "My father!"

She made a face for already knew, "Yeah, the thing is it's against regulations so we have to keep it kind of secret and low key. And I didn't want to tell you earlier because you just lost your wife and I didn't want to hurt you more. And when you kissed me, I panicked a little. So, I lied to you. I'm sorry."

Charlie stopped in front of her and gently held her hand as he titled her chin up to look her in the eye. His voice softened, "Sam, I know that when I first came here I didn't quite get the reality thing. And at first I thought you were just like my wife and I just simply needed to give you time. Cassie helped me see that's not the case. Your alternate, my wife…She died sending me and Janet here. She knew it would be another reality and I'm pretty certain she wasn't trying to find a reality where I could find her double and just pick up where we left off. She wanted to send us to a safe place to live out our lives. And she did that! And me holding onto you would only disgraced her sacrifice. I know that is not what she would have wanted. She wanted me and Janet to have a life free of Goa'uld occupation. She wanted us to be free. I'm sorry for the situation I put you in because I didn't understand that you were like a twin and not actually her. I was wrong to do that to you. I will always love my wife and I will always love you too. But I also know how important it is to be free. You love my father and he makes you happy. As long as you are happy that's what matters. Don't worry about hurting my feelings, Sam. I've been hurt plenty of times and I know how to deal with hurt. I'm going to be fine. You don't have to worry about me. I wish I could help you with those regulations but I think that's out of my control right now."

Tears ran down Sam's face as she listened to his assurance. For the first time she saw in Charlie was Janet saw. She saw what her alternate and what George Hammond saw. It was a gift that only one other person she knew had. The gift Daniel was graced with. Charlie had the gift of inspiration. Even as she admitted she lied to him and was in an affair with his father, Charlie had inspired her to be free and live her life on her terms.

"Are you okay?" he asked.

She sniffed, "I'm fine."

As they started back towards the camp they spotted Jack leaning against the corner of the cabin watching from a distance. They emerged from the grassy field Charlie smiled at his father as he walked by back to his seat.

Jack noticed Sam had been crying and asked, "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine," she assured him. She stood before him as she dried her eyes.

"How did he take it?" he wondered.

"Better than I did," she reported. "When we were talking he told me some things about my alternate, things I already knew but I kind of forgot. She died to send him and Janet here to be free of Goa'uld occupation. She died so they could be free to live their lives in peace. He didn't get the reality thing at first but he understands it now and knows she didn't send him her to find a copy of her. When he was telling me about her, I got to see it. That thing that Janet was telling me about. I know why their Hammond wanted him to be the leader of the resistance. Charlie is a lot like you. He has your ability to strategize and fight. He also has your leadership skills. But what sets him apart is he has Daniel's ability to inspire people. He can not only fight but inspire those around him. That's a very rare gift."

Jack wondered, "Is that why Charlie hasn't clocked Daniel yet? Because Daniel's tends to treat him like a kid and if was me, I would have hit him."

"I'm sure Daniel sees Charlie's potential already," she replied. "I think he's trying to guide him. He needs Daniel to help him fine tune his moral compass. And Daniel did stop him from killing Qetesh. With Daniel's guidance, I think Charlie will accomplish great things someday."

"I know he will," Jack agreed. He put his arm around her shoulder and led her back to her seat on the doc. "Fish are biting good," he added with a smile.

"They are?" she had to laugh for there was no fish in the pond.

"Yup, I got out some polls for us too." They took a seat back on the doc and Jack cast the lures into the water.

Jon sat on the bank with a pole as well and he glared at Jack and yelled out, "You just crossed my line."

Jack huffed, "Go fish over there." He pointed to other end of the pond. Oh, how Jack and his clone could annoy one another with such great ease.

Jon huffed back, "I'm staying right here."

Jack rolled his eyes wishing his clone had stayed home.

Sam mentioned to Jack, "We don't have enough cots for everyone. I wasn't expecting Jon to come."

"He can sleep on the floor," snorted Jack.

Sam grinned, "I was going to double him up with you."

"No," he shook his head.

"I'm not having him sleep on the floor," she insisted. "Daniel has a cot. Cassie and Charlie each have a cot. Teal'c has the sofa. I'm doubling up with Janet and that leaves you and Jon."

"I am not sleeping with mini-me," he insisted.

"You two do have a lot of issues to work out," she added casually.

Jack grimaced as he realized that Jon would not agree to sleep on the floor. He then realized Jon would actually suggest Jack should sleep on the floor. Jack's nightmare slowly unveiled itself as he realized that with the return of Charlie into his life so would be the return of his clone.

"For crying out loud," he whimpered to himself.

The End

Thank you for coming on this adventure with me. There is a second story in the works called The Sampson Option, Gemini. 6 months later, Sam, Jack, Daniel and Teal'c are accidently sent to Charlie's reality prior to the Sampson Option being launched. The must find a way back home before the nukes fly and survive an alternate Earth under Goa'uld occupation.


End file.
